About the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project
With funding secure, land acquisitions complete and a contractor in place, detailed planning and design is now underway for the Water Treatment Project. Construction officially broke ground with a kick-off event on October 30 next to the new pump station site on Comox Lake. Read about our event here.
Photo caption left to right: CVRD director Daniel Arbour, K’ómoks First Nation Councillors Katherine Frank and Richard Hardy, CVRD directors Wendy Morin and Doug Hillian, CVRD Water Committee Chair David Frisch, K’ómoks First Nation Chief Nicole Rempel, CVRD Chair Bob Wells and CVRD director Edwin Grieve.
Stay Up to Date
Read about project milestones, timelines and track our overall progress in the latest edition of our newsletter.
Project Background
The project involves developing a new water treatment system to serve communities in the CVRD including new intake infrastructure, pumping stations and pipelines, force mains, transmission mains and a filtration facility.
The $126 million project budget will be covered by reserves and grant funding. Only those connected to the Comox Valley Water System will be responsible for paying for the new system at an average cost estimated at $86 per household per year.
Watch our latest project video for a crash course on constructing a new water treatment system for the Comox Valley.
News Highlights
- AECON Hiring Fair
- November 27 from 10 am - 2 pm
- Pipefitters, Labourers, Carpenters, Electricians, Welders, Scafolders, Operators looking for job opportunities should attend this session
- October 2019 - Construction Kick-Off
- Official groundbreaking at Comox Lake
- July 2019 - Contract Awarded
- The CVRD awarded the design-build contract to AECON Water Infrastructure Inc. and amended the project budget to $126 million.
- Subcontractors looking for more information about provision of services should email AECON's Project Director.
- Individuals looking for direct employment opportunities on the project should email AECON's Recruitment Lead.
- May 2019 - Licenses and Agreements Acquired
- The CVRD successfully acquired all necessary water licenses and land use agreements setting a clear path for construction.
- January 2019 - Public Input Sought on Facilities Near Plant
- The public was asked for input on trailhead amenities and of those results were shared with the design-builder for future planning.
- December 2018 - Land Acquired for Key Infrastructure
- An agreement with the Fish and Game Association enabled the CVRD to acquire a key piece of land and statutory rights-of-way needed for construction.
- November 2018 - RFP Issued
- An RFP for design and build of the new system was issued to three pre-qualified proponents.
- November 2018 - Grant Funding Secured
- The Government of Canada and Province of BC committed $62.8 million in federal-provincial funding for the Comox Valley Water System and the Water Service (South) extension project.
Ensuring Safe Drinking Water
The Comox Valley water system provides drinking water to 45,000 residents, including the City of Courtenay, the Town of Comox and the K’ómoks First Nation and needs to be updated. The current system doesn’t comply with the provincial surface water treatment objectives guideline.
Bringing the Comox Valley water system in line with other communities across BC, Canada and the developed world, the new system will deliver three main benefits:
- It will eliminate the need for turbidity-related boil water notices
- It will remove the risk of viruses and bacteria in our drinking water
- It will provide a secure supply of reliable, high quality drinking water for decades to come.
Partnering with K’ómoks First Nation
The K’ómoks First Nation (KFN) and the CVRD signed a Mutual Benefit Agreement on September 28, 2018 confirming cooperation and collaboration in the management of water resources in the region.
In the signing of this agreement, KFN has stated its support of the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project and the CVRD’s water license application.
For more information about this agreement please see our news announcement.
The Comox Valley Water Treatment Project is estimated to cost $126 million.
While the project will receive federal and provincial grant funding ($58.5 million) under the Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) – Environmental Quality (EQ), there will still be costs for which the CVRD will be responsible.
The Comox Valley Water System will contribute reserves of $38.5 million and the CVRD plans to borrow up to $29 million over a maximum of 25 years to finance its share of the construction costs.
The cost of borrowing this money will mean an increase in bulk water rates for users of the Comox Valley Water System. It is estimated the new system will cost roughly $86 per household/year.
Click here for more information about how we will fund our Water Treatment Project.
The design-build contract was awarded to AECON Water Infrastructure Inc. in July 2019, signaling the start of the construction phase of this project. Some construction related activities (like land clearing) will begin in 2019. Infrastructure construction will begin in 2020, to be complete Spring 2021.
December 2019 Update Report
September 2019 Update Report
July 2019 Update Report
For more information about the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project please see the following documents:
- Comox Valley Water Treatment Project Update (Mar 2019)
- Comox Valley Water Treatment Project - Request for Proposals (Sep 2018)
- Comox Valley Water Treatmet Project - Request for Proposals Direction (Aug 2018)
- Request for Qualifications Staff Report (June 2018)
- Comox Valley Water Treatment Project - Implementation Decisions (Oct 2017)
- Comox Valley Water Treatment Project - Update (Sep 2017)
- Comox Valley Water System Bulk Water Rates (Oct 2016)
- Procurement Options Analysis (Nov 2016)