GEOTOUR GUIDE - City of Kamloops

Why filTer The WaTer?
The water treatment plant was built to filter all particles in the South Thompson River water bigger than 4 one hundred millionths
of a millimeter, including water-borne disease-causing pathogens such as cryptosporidium and giardia. The source of these
pathogens may be the abundant cattle and other livestock in the watershed upstream from Kamloops. Prior to the construction
of the filtration plant, the City used only chlorine to remove pathogens. Chlorine is effective at killing pathogens, except when
the river waters are muddy, a condition that can occur during spring high water. Prior to construction of the filtration plant, the
BC Ministry of Health often needed to issue a Boil Water Order during the spring, alerting residents to boil their drinking water
to ensure adequate water safety.
The BC Ministry of Health noted a reduction in gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea during these Boil Water Orders.
This suggested that during normal periods, chlorine was not adequately treating the Kamloops drinking water. To deal with
this problem the City had several choices: bring water by pipeline from a cleaner river source that didn’t need filtration, (e.g.
Clearwater River in Wells Gray Park), draw naturally filtered groundwater from nearby wells, or build a filtration plant. The
filtration plant option was selected, and since the plant began service in 2005, the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases in
Kamloops residents has dropped.
There is enerGy in ThaT WaTer
When you turn your hose on next time to water the garden, remember use are using expensive water. It has been filtered,
chlorinated, and pumped to where you live. Summer water use in Kamloops jumps as much as 4 times in the summer because of
additional outside water use, largely due to watering gardens. And the City pumps water uphill as much as 500 metres to reach
the highest homes. This pumping takes a lot of energy. So every time you turn on the tap, you aren’t just using water, you are
using energy too!
The neW Way To Build: a Green BuildinG
The filtration plant is an example of a new breed of “green building” that uses less energy and water to operate. Heat from the
river water that passes through the plant is used to warm the building during the winter. A garden on the roof cools the building
naturally in summer. Gardens of native drought resistant shrubs around the plant need less water during summer drought, and
rainwater that falls on the parking lot and roof flows to a wetland that naturally filters pollutants.
How to get to water treatment plant. City of Kamloops Centre for Water Quality, the water treatment
plant, is on River Street east of the downtown near the Charles Anderson stadium. From Victoria Street, turn north on
10th Avenue and right on River Street. Tours must be arranged in advance with the City of Kamloops.
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