The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) will be receiving $2.05 million from the province to install automated water meters in rural communities.
The pilot program has selected 19 small, rural and First Nations communities to participate in the pilot, with Faulder, Willowbrook and Olalla among those chosen.
“The Regional District is pleased to participate in this important universal metering pilot program,” said Mark Pendergraft, RDOS chair. “This project will give the RDOS the opportunity to improve watershed management and improve the sustainability of local water systems going forward.”
Installation is expected to begin by late summer of 2025, with installation required to be completed by March 2027.
Once the meters are installed, there will be changes to how residents are billed for water. A 12-month mock-billing period will take place before the official billing change to help residents adjust to the new rates.
Information meetings will be scheduled in each of the participating communities to answer questions and provide additional details, with dates shared on RDOS web and social media channels, including the Universal Metering System Pilot Project page at rdosregionalconnections.ca.
Among the benefits cited by the RDOS's release are the ability to more accurately identify losses in the water system, provide more accurate water usage information to residents to help manage their consumption, identify the effectiveness of water restrictions and reduce overall operating costs for the system.
Separately, the community of Olalla continues to grapple with contamination issues in the water supply that have led to repeated chlorination and boil water notices since 2024.
The source of the contamination is still unknown but may be from cross-contamination or a leak on private property. The new water meters could allow for the easier identification of the latter issue.
