Construction of the new multi-million dollar drinking water treatment plant is underway in the Comox Valley.
The project has been mandated by Island Health because the current system does not comply with provincial surface water treatment guidelines.
The CVRD has awarded the design-build contract to AECON Water Infrastructure. The new system will including intake infrastructure, pumping stations and pipelines, force mains, transmission mains and a filtration facility.
“While there is much work to be done over the coming two years, we felt it important to pause and recognize the work that’s been completed to date,” CVRD CAO Russell Dyson said Wednesday at a gathering at the Fish and Game Club, next to the new pump station site on Comox Lake.
“This new water system is the regional district’s largest infrastructure project to date,” said Courtenay Coun. David Frisch, chair of the Comox Valley Water Committee. “The much-needed system will deliver safe drinking water to over 45,000 residents in Courtenay, Comox and the K’ómoks First Nation.”
The project will cost $126 million. Senior governments are contributing a combined $58.5 million. The CVRD will contribute $38.5 million through reserves, and will borrow the remaining $29 million. Only those connected to the Comox Valley Water System will be paying for the system. The average cost estimate is $86 per household per year.
When the project is complete, Frisch said it will eliminate the need for turbidity-related boil water notices, remove the risk of viruses and bacteria in drinking water, and provide a secure supply of reliable, quality water for decades to come.
“Water is life,” KFN Chief Nicole Rempel said. “We are fortunate to live in a place where clean, running water is a reality, which is not the case for so many First Nations in this country and worldwide. It is something we all take for granted every day. I am truly proud of the relationship built between K’ómoks First Nation and the CVRD in recent years, and the Mutual Benefit Agreement signed last September for co-management of our most important resource.”
Recreational improvements will be made on the treatment plant property, including a new trailhead with a gravel parking lot.
Project timeline:
2020 – Construction complete on water pipelines;
Fall 2020 – Construction complete at Comox Lake (pump station and lake intake);
Spring 2021 – Construction complete at Water Treatment Plant;
Summer 2021 – Commissioning complete;
Fall 2021 – Water Treatment Plant grand opening.
Visit comoxvalleyrd.ca for more information. Click on Services, Water and Comox Valley Water Treatment Project.
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