Comox Valley Water Treatment Project

Construction of the Comox Valley Water Treatment Project kicked off in fall 2019 and is well underway. The new system, scheduled for completion in 2021, will comply with the provincial surface water treatment objectives guideline and deliver three main benefits:

Eliminate the need for turbidity-related boil water notices
Remove the risk of viruses and bacteria in our drinking water
Provide a secure supply of reliable, high quality drinking water for decades to come

Learn more about why we need a water treatment plant.

What's Happening Now

Raw Water Pump Station: Drilling activities into Comox Lake have resumed, with the tunneling machine making steady progress and platform and cradle now in place and ready for breakout. Inside the electrical building, crews have received electrical cabinets and will commence wiring up the building.
Water Treatment Plant: Crews are consistently achieving concrete milestones at the treatment plant site as it continues to take shape above ground level. The administration and clearwell areas are both seeing major progress, with the elevated lobby/admin slab poured and shoring now up in the clearwell. Major equipment is also starting to arrive on site, with the delivery of the UV reactors, blowers, and filter underdrains. Piping is starting to be installed within the facility as well, with the pipe gallery starting to take shape.
Water Pipelines: The raw water transmission main has tied into the water treatment plant, completing the installation of the pipe that will transport water from Comox Lake to the treatment plant. On the other section of pipeline, the treated water transmission main, crews recently reached a large milestone with installation of the crossing at Highway 19, and are continuing to install pipe working west toward the treatment plant. This part of the project continues to remain on schedule with approximately 75% of pipe installed and all steel pipe deliveries now complete.

Here's what crews are working on through October/November:

Ensuring safety precautions related to COVID-19 are in place so construction can continue safely through the fall months.
Preparing for the concrete crew to move back to the raw water pump station site to begin work on the pump house.
Completing tunneling activities into Comox Lake and starting installation of the marine pipe and intake.
Continuing concrete pouring and installation of piping for the water treatment plant and starting structural steel and electrical work.
Final testing of the raw water transmission main, which will transport water between Comox Lake and the treatment plant.
Completing the treated water transmission main between the existing transmission system and the treatment plant.

Read Our Project Update

Watch a Timelapse Video

See how construction progressed from March through August 2020 or check out our library below for a more detailed look back at how the project has evolved.

News Highlights

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.

The CVRD celebrated the start of construction and officially broke ground with the KFN on October 30, 2019 at Comox Lake. From 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.

Project Cost and Funding

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.

Project Timeline

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.

Project Timeline