The City of Kelowna Water Utility Is Currently in the Process of Installing UV

UBCM Community Excellence Awards 2005

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES The use of UV Treatment Technology City of Kelowna Water Utility UV Treatment Technology in the City of Kelowna

After a two-year pilot study proved conclusively that UV technology was the perfect solution for the City of Kelowna, a full-scale installation of Ultraviolet Treatment

Technology at each of the City’s four water intake locations is now being completed.

Thanks to this cutting-edge UV Treatment, the City of Kelowna can better protect its citizens by ensuring that protozoa that enter the water supply are neutralized. UV

Treatment is also a cost-effective solution compared to other treatment options.

The water supply for the City of Kelowna water utility originates in Okanagan

Lake. Continuous water quality monitoring by the utility confirms that Okanagan Lake is a high-quality stable source of supply. However, in August of 1996 Kelowna experienced a significant cryptosporidium outbreak. Research that followed suggested the cause of the outbreak was significant spring runoff combined with major rain events during a short duration. This led to exceptionally high flows from major tributaries into Okanagan Lake.

Although never proven it was speculated that runoff, wind conditions and lake activity

2 created a water quality disturbance that compromised the City’s water supply as a result of contaminated surface water entering its intakes.

Until this time water treatment had been limited to chlorine disinfection. But the outbreak raised concerns over protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, leading the

City to seek enhancements to the primary disinfection system at all intake locations. The use of chlorination alone as the sole method of treatment does not adequately deal with the cryptosporidium parasite. The outbreak Kelowna experienced confirms research that almost all surface waters are susceptible to water-borne parasites as a result of naturally occurring wildlife and human activity within the watershed.

Immediately following the outbreak a number of treatment options were reviewed. Two options were short-listed which included the installation of ozonation or filtration as enhanced methods of treatment. Further detailed engineering studies confirmed the costs of these two options to be in the order of $40 million and $60 million respectively.

After reviewing these options and their associated costs, a Mayor’s Task Force on

Water Quality was struck. The task force was made up of a wide cross-section of community stakeholders and City staff. The City of Kelowna recognized the importance of having a community-wide approach to developing a plan that would significantly reduce the risk of any reoccurrence.

The task force was to review all events leading up to the outbreak, identify any contributing factors and recommend a series of risk reduction methods and operational changes that would reduce or eliminate any further outbreaks.

3 After 18 months of review, 13 recommendations were submitted to and approved by City Council. One of the primary recommendations included a further review of emerging treatment technologies.

UV treatment technology, as applied to inactivating water-borne parasites, was emerging and gaining momentum in North America when the City’s Water Utility went looking for answers. Ultraviolet Light Treatment has been found to be effective in inactivating Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

As a result of its research, the Kelowna Water Utility embarked on a joint pilot program with the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the

University of Alberta which is recognized as one of the leading research facilities on water borne disease. NSERC contributed 50 % of the funding ($300,000) for the project with the balance being shared equally between the U of A and the City of Kelowna Water

Utility.

The pilot project, from July 2001 to July 2003, proved conclusively that UV

Treatment would answer Kelowna’s Water quality issues. The treatment involves water travelling through UV transmitters installed at intakes. The water is exposed to UV light provided by six 20Kw (20,000 watts) lamps for only fractions of a second. Lamp intensity automatically adjusts to respond to variances in water quality and velocity. This short exposure does not kill parasites present in the source water, however it renders the parasites sterile and, as a result, their ability to cause illness is eliminated.

Armed with a good result from the pilot project, the City immediately began work on a full-scale installation of UV Treatment at all four of its water intakes. Detail engineering analysis was completed.

4 Construction work began early in 2005 on the Poplar Point, Eldorado Road and

Swick Road intakes and is expected to carry on through the spring and summer.

Predesign for the Cedar Creek intake is now complete. New 1200mm diameter intake pipes were installed and pumping stations were built or upgraded to accommodate the new UV light transmitters. Construction on all stations is expected to be complete by the end of this year.

City staff worked in close cooperation with various levels of government, including the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and

Women’s services, on this project. The City of Kelowna was able to secure a grant of

$2.95 million, under the Canada/British Columbia Infrastructure Program, to help off–set the total construction costs of $7.3 million for three of its water intake stations. Compared to the $40 million cost attached to other treatment options, UV Technology was a significantly more economical choice.

The installation of UV Technology is creating further beneficial results. Recently the Ministry of Health has implemented new Drinking Water Legislation. A “source to tap” approach to improving water quality in the province of BC has been adopted and will require all water purveyors, in conjunction with local health authorities, to perform water quality risk assessments on their water systems to ensure adequate risk reduction measures are implemented including enhanced levels of treatment in some cases. Because of the groundwork Kelowna’s Water Utility performed after the City’s outbreak in 1996, the adjustment to the province’s new legislation was an easy one.

Also, the pilot program conducted by the City of Kelowna was a significant contribution to the research NSERC and the U of A were conducting and it confirmed

5 UV Treatment is well-suited to inactivating water borne disease in many surface water supplies. The pilot program research has since been published by the U of A.

Information on the project has also been shared with many water purveyors.

UV Treatment Technology provides a number of qualitative and quantitative benefits in the areas of economic, ecological and social sustainability. UV for potable water systems is rapidly emerging as a low-cost, innovative and effective approach to providing a barrier to water borne diseases, and it strengthens the City of Kelowna’s commitment to providing safe water to its residents.

6 INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO WATER QUALITY CHALLENGES The use of UV Treatment Technology City of Kelowna Water Utility

Above left: The Ultraviolet Light Treatment transmitter. As water travels through, it is exposed to light from six 20Kw lamps for only fractions of a second. Above right: Don Degen, Water and Drainage Manager, stands beside the control panel for the UV reactor. Below: Installation of UV transmitters at all four intake stations includes some building upgrades and pipe installation.