District of Hope to present $1.8 million water upgrade plans

The estimated cost of improving the water systems in Hope will be about $1.8 million, and the plan is being shown to the public this week.

The District of Hope is holding a public information session on Nov. 2 at 7 p.m. at the Hope Recreation Centre Conference Room.

It will outline the scope of work required and associated costs to perform upgrades to the district’s water utility with the amalgamation of the 753 Water System into the District of Hope’s Water System.

The work will require the district to borrow up to $1.8 million over the course of 15 years. That will be explained in further detail at the meeting. So will an alternative approval process, which provides opportunity for elector response in the specified area.

The specified area are those properties currently connected to the water system, or have the water service to their property frontage.

The decision to amalgamate the 753 Waterworks system into the district was about 30 years in the making, and their decision in July 2019 was made in a packed council meeting. Those in attendance erupted in cheers. More than 150 residents near Kawkawa Lake are connected to the private water company that had been seized by the Province of B.C.’s water comptroller.

Some of the upgrades talked about in previous reports include decommissioning four wells, the Skylark and Riverview wells, and Wells 7 and 9, adding new hydrants, a booster station, and multiple tie-ins. The plan also calls to make Upper Thacker Mountain Road a separate pressure zone.

COVID- 19 protocols will be in place for the meeting, with only 65 people allowed in the room (50% capacity limit). Also, masks, vaccine passports and identification will be required for entry.

After the session, a question and answer document will be produced and made available on the District of Hope website.

READ MORE: Hope’s water upgrades to cost about $1.8 million