The District of West Kelowna in British Columbia has purchased new leak detection equipment in hopes of improving the community’s water conservation efforts. The technology is a central recommendation of the District’s Water Conservation Plan, adopted by council in January 2013.
“Approximately 21 per cent of all West Kelowna’s water consumption goes unaccounted for each year,” said West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater. “The detection equipment should halve the amount of water loss as leaks are identified and repaired over the next few years.”
The District purchased the equipment in September for a total price of $38,000—$25,000 of which was contributed by the Okanagan Basin Water Board through the Water Conservation and Quality Improvement Program.
“The Okanagan Basin Water Board is a small, but dedicated group of professionals who are making large leaps forward in improving the Okanagan’s mindset when it comes to water uses and how important it is to conserve such a precious resource,” Findlater said.
West Kelowna’s five water systems, which serve 11,000 customers and provide irrigation for 650 hectares of agricultural land, currently draw 14,250 mega litres of water from Okanagan Lake and the Powers and Lambly watersheds. A 10 per cent reduction in the number of system leaks would conserve enough water to supply another 1,000 homes annually.
