The City of Cranbrook says it’s committed to delivering safe and clean drinking water to the community with two major projects on the horizon.
In a release this week, the City of Cranbrook stated their commitment to deliver safe and clean drinking water to the community with an outline of what they do to make it happen.
The City regularly has water tested on-site and by independent laboratories to ensure it meets strict standards.
These tests look for bacteria, chemicals, and nutrients, helping confirm water quality remains safe and consistent throughout the year.
Certified operators take daily measurements of key indicators such as chlorine levels, temperature, and clarity at multiple locations across the system.
Additional samples are collected weekly, monthly, and annually to check for bacteria and naturally occurring compounds.
Image Credit: The City of Cranbrook
Two major capital projects guided by Asset Management are in the pipeline to focus on planning and long-term reliability and resilience.
Phillips Reservoir UV Disinfection Facility
This key project, which is planned to get underway later this spring, will modernize how the City treats drinking water by adding ultraviolet (UV) disinfection to the treatment process, alongside a new sodium hypochlorite system.
Together, these upgrades create a dual-barrier treatment system that improves water quality, enhances safety for both the public and operators, and ensures the City continues to meet provincial drinking water standards.
It will help the City maintain its current treatment approach and defer the need for a much more expensive filtration treatment plant, which could cost in the range of $100+ million to build and would add significant ongoing operating costs.
In March 2024, the City of Cranbrook was awarded $9.5 million in funding from both the Government of Canada and the Province of BC. $5.19 million in project funds is coming from the Government of Canada’s Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) Green Infrastructure – Environmental Quality Stream while another $4.32 million in funds is coming from the Province of BC.
The City is contributing a total of $3.46 million to the $12.99-million project.
Image Credit: The City of Cranbrook
Gold Creek Dam Replacement
The Gold Creek Dam replacement project involves rebuilding a century-old dam that has reached the end of its useful life and is experiencing significant structural stress.
Replacing the dam will resolve these issues while also expanding water storage capacity.
This added capacity will help ease water restrictions, support community growth, and improve resilience to climate change and natural disasters.
Staff are currently developing final plans, drawings, costing and permitting for the new structure.
If all permits are received, this project may potentially begin construction in late 2026 or early 2027.
The planning work is to continue through the spring, summer and into the fall months. The approved funding for the project is $15 million.
Through a successful grant application to the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF) — Disaster Risk Reduction–Climate Adaptation stream, the City has secured $5 million in funding.
Along with the grant funding, the City has approved borrowing of up to $10 million.
Image Credit: The City of Cranbrook
Outdoor water restrictions are in place each spring and summer and it is important to be apart of responsible water use.
More information on restrictions and what each stage means visit Cranbrook Water Usage.
To read more about how the City manages water infrastructure go online to City of Crankbrook website.
Comments