The Comox Valley Regional District (CVRD) has completed installation of its interim UV treatment system at its chlorination station ahead of schedule, delivering the system Friday, January 19 which helped avoid a boil water notice over the weekend. The system was expected to begin operation in February.
“The UV treatment system was not expected to be operational until February, but thanks to the dedication and commitment of our CVRD engineering team and contractors, we were able to complete installation early,” said Bob Wells, chair of the CVRD Water Committee. “This is an excellent example of our dedicated project team working diligently to minimize impacts during an extremely rainy period in the watershed. I would like to thank all Comox Valley residents and businesses for their patience as we worked towards this solution.”
The CVRD collaborated with Island Health to identify this interim solution that will safeguard public health by providing the required disinfection to continuously protect against protozoa (parasites) until the CVRD’s new water treatment system is up and running in 2021. A new water treatment system remains a key priority for the Regional District.
The Regional District is now awaiting changes to its operating permit but given the weather forecast, Island Health has granted the CVRD temporary permission to use the system. It is expected that Island Health will issue amended operating guidelines for the Comox Valley Water System in the coming weeks, allowing for continued operation of the interim UV treatment system through 2021. The interim UV treatment system is expected to reduce boil water notices by approximately 80 per cent. Once the new filtration system is in place, turbidity-related boil water notices will be eliminated.
The UV treatment system and installation are set to be completed under the $1 million project budget. The UV equipment will be moved to the new water treatment facility once it is constructed and will be a critical part of the long-term water treatment solution.
