The Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) is inviting Balfour water system customers to book their water meter installation with Corix Water Products.
Corix has been contracted by the RDCK to supply and install new water meters and meter reading equipment as part of the Balfour Water System Upgrades and Metering Project. Meters will be installed in all residential and commercial properties in Balfour, with installations starting in August.
“Universal water metering is a key component of the upgrades project, and was critical to securing the grant that is the primary source of funding for this project,” said Jason McDiarmid, Manager of Utility Services at the RDCK. “Metering will also allow for additional water conservation, meaning we may realize some reduction in costs to operate and maintain the water system, and we may be able to defer infrastructure upgrades.”
Balfour residents will be hearing directly from Corix on how to book appointments, what to expect during the installation, and how and where the meter will be installed. There is a Balfour metering project page on the Corix website.
On July 26, 2018 the RDCK—along with representatives from Corix—held a public information session about water metering. The intention of this open-house style meeting was to provide detailed information about the metering part of the upgrades project, and to give residents the chance to ask questions and see what a meter and the associated antenna look like.
During the meeting, it became apparent that the community still has questions about metering and about the project overall. Staff responded to questions from attendees, and have also used the feedback to prepare and distribute a mailer to residents in the community that addresses some key issues.
“Several people asked us about progress on the water main replacement along Highway 3A, which is a key part of the project,” said Jeff Phillips, RDCK Project Manager. “We have already replaced about 1,300 meters of water main, with just over 220 meters to go. As the work was being done, we realized that the infrastructure is in worse shape than we thought. This, along with higher-than-expected tender costs and the need to have residents book in-house meter installations, is causing us to pause the water main upgrade work and evaluate further. Our goal is to complete the fully scoped project within budget, and we need to take the time to do it right.”
Other questions and answers from attendees at the open house have been documented and posted on the upgrades project page on the RDCK website: www.rdck.ca/BalfourProject.
For more information about the Balfour upgrades project, including water metering, please contact the Water Services department at 250-352-8171 during regular business hours (8:30am to 4:30pm). You can also send your questions by email to WaterContact@rdck.bc.ca.
