Friday, May 30, 2025
The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) announced that the Erickson Water System in Electoral Area B has been awarded $3,502,332 in grant funding from the Provincial Water Meter Pilot Project. The Pilot Project is investing $50 million in water metering for nineteen small, rural and First Nations communities across the province, with specific focus on the single-family residential sector.
RDCK staff selected Erickson Water System’s Phase 2 metering for the Pilot Project application as it best fit the project criteria and would complete universal metering for the entire system. Phase 1 metering is currently underway and includes 136 meters installed on industrial, commercial, institutional, and agricultural services, with all costs projected to be covered under various senior government grant funding. Phase 2 will see 506 meter installations, which is 100% grant funded through this Pilot Project.
“Erickson water system continues to face capacity challenges from increased water needs and reduced summertime flows in Arrow Creek,” said Alex Divlakovski, RDCK Water Operations Manager. “These challenges are most notable in the agricultural sector where water supply during critical summer months has been repeatedly threatened by demand exceeding what’s available in the watershed. By installing meters and boosting demand-side management via leak location and repair, we are ensuring water is being used where it’s intended. We have seen a 30% reduction in water use in other RDCK systems that have implemented universal metering with volumetric billing and hope for 15-20% in Erickson while maintaining flat-rate billing. Without this generous Provincial grant funding, universal metering would have been years away for this system, resulting in countless volumes wasted and increased stress on the Arrow Creek watershed.”
The Pilot Project will take place over the next two years and requires RDCK participation in a community of practice as part of an adjunct research project to study the benefits and challenges associated with water metering in small communities. The Province has stated that it will make the results of the Pilot Project available to all water suppliers in B.C.
