It is important to provide adequate treatment of drinking water to ensure the community’s health and safety. This requires that all disease causing microorganisms including bacteria, viruses and protozoa are effectively inactivated. The water from John Hart Lake has been historically reliable and of high quality such that the City is not required to filter or treat beyond disinfection. The City currently uses chlorine and ultra violet for disinfecting the water. Chlorine is effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens including waterborne bacteria and viruses, and ultra violet is effective at inactivating protozoan agents.
Raw water entering the City’s Main System receives UV and chlorine disinfection at the Campbell River Water Supply Centre and is then delivered through multiple transmission lines to feed the city. The Beaver Lodge Forest Water Quality Centre improves the capacity to control and maintain chlorine residual throughout the southern portion of the distribution system by adding additional chlorine mid-way through the distribution system. The water delivered by the Industrial Park Water System also receives ultra violet and chlorine disinfection at the Campbell River Water Supply Centre.
Monitoring
Each treatment facility is inspected weekly by water operators and is continuously monitored remotely by the City’s SCADA system to ensure that systems operated within allowable operating set points. The levels of disinfection by-products (DBP) are also monitored to ensure they are well within the Canadian Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.