Last week, we started a new series about the Village's water system and shared information about where Lytton's water comes from. Read Part 1.
This week, we'll look at who is responsible for the water system.
Part 2: Who is responsible for Lytton's water system?
Bringing safe, clean, drinkable (potable) water from its source to your tap is a shared responsibility.
The Village has to comply with the following regulations and requirements to provide water service to the community:
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Provincial Drinking Water Protection Act and Drinking Water Protection Regulation,
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Terms of the Village’s Water Service Agreement with Lytton First Nation, and
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The Village’s Water System Operating Permit issued by Interior Health.
In addition, the Village is responsible for the following activities:
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Operating and maintaining the community water system and water treatment facilities
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Treating and doing comprehensive testing to ensure safe, quality drinking water
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Distributing water, including maintaining 6.5 km of water mains, detecting leaks, and maintaining fire hydrants
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Connecting the water main service to the property lines of homes of businesses
Public Works staff and contractors, including Kevin Vilac (whose profile was included in last week’s newsletter, Gene McArthur, and Morgan Heaster perform all of these tasks with leadership from Brian Baxter.
The Interior Health Authority’s Drinking Water Officer is responsible for enforcing the regulations and issuing water system permits.
If you are a property owner, you are responsible for the connection from the property line to your house or business, including the pipes on your property and plumbing fixtures.
Everyone plays an important role in conservation and backflow prevention, which means ensuring there is no connection between non-potable sources (like fertilizers or grease) that could contaminate the drinking water supply.
Next week, we'll look at Lytton's water treatment system.