GEOTOUR GUIDE - City of Kamloops
GEOTOUR GUIDE - City of Kamloops
GEOTOUR GUIDE - City of Kamloops
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(sTop 13) Where does our WaTer Come from?<br />
The souTh Thompson river<br />
Water supply is a vital resource to any community. The <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kamloops</strong> draws its water from the clear-flowing South Thompson<br />
River. The South Thompson River water is filtered in a state-<strong>of</strong>-the-art filtration plant just east <strong>of</strong> city centre. Water use in<br />
<strong>Kamloops</strong> averages 10 to 11 million litres per day, but doubles in the summer to over 20 million litres due to outdoor water uses<br />
such as lawn care.<br />
Figure 53. <strong>Kamloops</strong> water supply is drawn from the South Thompson River through an intake pipe just upstream <strong>of</strong> the downtown area. The river is<br />
fed by snowmelt and rainfall within its watershed. The water is filtered and pumped by pipe (blue) throughout the city, including areas as much as 500<br />
metres above the river. Waste water from homes and businesses is collected in a network <strong>of</strong> sewer pipes (orange) that carry waste water to a treatment<br />
plant west <strong>of</strong> the city. Treated water is either returned to the river or used to irrigate hay crops.<br />
Figure 54a. <strong>City</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Kamloops</strong> Centre for Water Quality, water treatment<br />
plant.<br />
30<br />
Figure 54b. Pipes within the treatment plant contain the membrane<br />
filtration units. (Photo by R. Turner)
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