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The great water debate is still ongoing but the City of Kelowna is making it clear where they stand.
Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran discussed plans for an integrated water system for the whole city during his annual “state of the city address” to the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce on Thursday afternoon.
He said integrating the water systems and insuring water security in Kelowna is council’s number one priority for 2016.
“Drinking water is our number one priority for our residents so we think it’s time now to start getting the message out that we believe one integrated system is the way that this needs to go,” said Basran. “It’s something that council is unanimous on and we believe it’s time to let the city know about that.”
According to Basran, 35 per cent of Kelowna citizens are on frequent, or almost constant, water advisories, and have been for the past ten years.
“We believe that all of our residents deserve clean water,” he said.
Right now, Kelowna has five irrigation districts supplying water to residents in different parts of the city. They include the City of Kelowna water utility (City), the Black Mountain Irrigation District (BMID), the Glenmore-Ellison Improvement District (GEID), Rutland Waterworks District (RWD), and the South East Kelowna Irrigation District (SEKID).
In 2012, they made a Kelowna Joint Water Committee plan to move towards integrating all the water systems.
According to the Mayor, council no longer agrees with that plan and instead wants a third party assessment to take place before anything is finalized.
Now, Kelowna is pushing for one integrated system with oversight by city council. Basran said this shouldn’t be a problem since councillors are chosen by residents in all parts of the city.
He said there has been significant push back from the outlying water authorities, but that it comes as welcome news to residents he’s talked to.
Basran made it clear that they won’t be taking over tomorrow but wants to put a plan in place.
He also said that this shift aligns with provincial policy, saying that municipalities should be preparing to take over district authorities in their area.
“We’re actually working towards provincial legislation that says this is what we should be doing… this isn’t something we’ve dreamed up,” he said.
Besides water, Basran also brought up a few other upcoming city initiatives, like the $43-million project to build new RCMP offices, more social programs to help residents in need, more art grants, transit improvements, and better bike routes, to name a few.
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