The village has set the date of April 27 for the referendum, required to approve the borrowing for the new reservoir construction.
Over the next few weeks the Keremeos Irrigation District will be providing information regarding the reservoir and the process, by answering some of the questions that have been most frequently asked, starting with “Why do we need a reservoir?”
The Keremeos water system was constructed 45 years ago to only provide water for agriculture. This water system today has the added demands of residential, commercial, institutional and fire protection placed on it. In two separate engineering reports commissioned by the district, it was determined that the lack of water storage is the number one water system deficiency. A new reservoir is required to enable the district to provide continual water service and to maintain the quality of the water, by reducing the potential for backflow due to depressurizations. There are times during peak demand that some areas of Keremeos are operating at the absolute maximum system capacity. Simply put, the reservoir will allow the district to utilize our existing pumping capacity much more efficiently, effectively and reduce costs. The reservoir will provide the Keremeos area with a level of fire protection which we do not currently have. In all water systems, many much smaller than ours, adequate reservoir storage is an integral part of those systems, to ensure water is provided in the required quantity and quality efficiently and effectively for its current and future users. Please submit any questions or comments to the district at: kid@nethop.net or to the office at 712 - 6th avenue or phone (250) 499-5651.