The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen is continuing to struggle to solve contamination issues in the Olalla water supply.
In an update posted on June 9, the RDOS announced that it was ceasing the temporary chlorination of the water supply, not because the water quality issue was resolved but to facilitate more testing.
The boil water notice for residents remains active, and the RDOS stated it is imperative for residents to follow the notice while the chlorination is paused.
Until the boil water notice is removed, residents are being told to use a safe alternative source of water or to boil water for a minimum of one minute before any drinking, brushing teeth, food preparation/cooking purposes, and ice making.
The pause in chlorination was done in consultation with Interior Health. The pause is necessary to find where the bacteriological contamination is growing from in the system.
The most recent boil water notice has been in place since April 24, but the system has been under notices and spates of temporary chlorination since September of 2024 when the bacteriological contamination started to be detected.
Test samples taken in May found samples of coliform bacteria across the system everywhere short of the source well.
One of the potential sources being looked at by the RDOS is a connection to the system's storage reservoir, which was isolated from the rest of the system following an internal inspection with a remote vehicle.
The RDOS is also looking into the possibility of cross-contamination further down the line. The organization has asked residents to check their own pipes and hookups to make sure there are no leaks.
Cross-contamination can also occur when untreated irrigation water backs up into the treated water system on a resident's property.
