The Keremeos reservoir project is not going away, in spite of the 2010 Alternate Approval Process petition that forced the Keremeos Irrigation District to abandon their tax request.
More recently, the Regional District Okanagan - Similkameen approved a number of regional projects for gas tax funding. On the list is the Keremeos reservoir project, which will benefit from a $300,000 grant, if approved.
The KID and local politicians have been perceived by some to be “ramming this project down people’s throats,” every time the subject comes up. For that reason, it is important that some of the facts behind this project be reviewed.
Below is an excerpt from regional district director’s notes explaining the application for grant funding for the Keremeos water reservoir
The Keremeos water system currently supplies about 1,000 residential and commercial services and institutional land uses including schools, diagnostic centre, senior citizens housing; serving a population of about 3,200.
The system continues to provide irrigation water but currently does not meet many basic standards for a municipal water system. The proposed reservoir project addresses water system reliability and fire protection deficiencies to avoid a situation where the water system could become an absolute constraint to growth. The reservoir would be a capital asset of the Village, but by agreement the operation of it would be the responsibility of the Keremeos Irrigation District.