The Grindrod Water (GRW) Treatment Plant is operating at full capacity. It is designed to supply a consistent volume that is directed to the storage reservoir that balances out the customer demand requirements; however, we have recently identified a significant anomaly in our water usage pattern that is jeopardizing the stability and reliability of the entire water system. GRW reminds customers that outdoor water restrictions are still in effect. For more information, click here
The Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) manages the Grindrod Water Utility (GRW) located in area "F" which serves approximately 50 customers. Water is drawn from the adjacent Shuswap River near the Highway 97A crossing and is treated to meet Canadian Drinking Water Standards.
Water rates are set by the RDNO Board of Directors, which includes political representatives from the municipalities they serve. Rates are based on the actual cost to provide water. GRW does not receive any taxation money and the only outside source of income are grant funds that the utility seeks out to assist in reducing costs to customers.
Customers will receive their water bills semi-annually mid-March and mid-September from the RDNO.
The water rates for the GRW system can be found on Schedule B of the Small Utilities Rates and Regulations Bylaw.
Billing Information Water & Sewer Utility Billing How to Pay Your Utility Bill As a regional utility, GRW legally cannot make a profit on services. A deficit is also not allowed and each year’s annual expenses (see example list below) must be recovered directly from user fees during that year or be funded from reserves.
Expected annual expenses
- Operations
- Maintenance
- debt payments
- construction, and
- reserve contributions
All parcels with a service connection pay an Infrastructure Base Fee independent of whether the parcel is connected to the water utility or not.
A consumption fee is charged for water consumption for each residential unit and/or commercial unit (in addition to the Infrastructure Base Fee). Once a property has been connected to the water utility infrastructure, the consumption fee will always be charged to that property. It will not be adjusted seasonally.
How do I change my mailing address?
Notify BC Assessment directly to change your mailing address so that future utility bills, property tax notices and BC Assessment notices are mailed to your new address.
The RDNO receives weekly notification of address changes. BC Assessment Change of Address Notification can be completed the following ways:
- go to their website at "update your property information"
- call 1-866-825-8322
- forward via mail to: 300-1631 Dickson Avenue, Kelowna BC V1Y 8H2.
You will need your property roll number and assessment and jurisdiction area numbers in order to make the address change.
What if property ownership changes?
Utility invoices follow the property, not the owner. The RDNO does not get final meter reads (if a meter is installed) or create final bills when a property changes hands. The law firm or notary that is conveying the sale must contact the RDNO Finance department for an estimate of the amount owing and adjust for this amount on your statement of adjustments.
Note that the charges remain with the property when it is transferred and the new owner becomes responsible for these payments. The RDNO cannot make adjustments between owners if the actual amount of the final bill is different from the estimate.
I just bought a property in the Regional District and the first utility bill I received shows arrears from before I bought the property. Who is responsible for paying these arrears?
It is the responsibility of the lawyer or notary handling the transfer of ownership to ensure that a search is done through the RDNO to determine if there are any outstanding utility charges on a property and include those charges on the statement of adjustments. This is required to be sure that there are no outstanding debts or encumbrances attached to the property upon transfer of ownership.
To ensure water remains clean and uncontaminated, the RDNO has a Cross Connection Control Program. Certain services at higher risk of introducing contaminates into the water system must install cross connection prevention devices as per the Regional District of North Okanagan Cross Connection Control Regulation Bylaw No. 2651, 2014. These devices prevent contaminates from flowing backward, in the rare but possible instances of reverse flow into the community water supply.
To learn more about ways you can make your home or business more waterwise, visit our water conservation page.
GRW follows the Interior Health Water Quality Program, which is dedicated to achieving safe, clean, reliable drinking water as an essential component of a healthy community.
Annual and Monthly water quality reports are published to ensure transparency.
Residents can sign up for email notifications to follow water source changes or supply interruptions (planned or emergency).
During spring run-off, turbidity is high in the Shuswap River which is the source water for the GRW. To keep up to the high turbidity levels coming into the GRW Treatment Plant (the Plant), it has to be operated at about half speed to provide drinking water that is below the 1 NTU requirement of the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines.
While the distribution pumps are able to meet the customer demands, the Plant cannot produce a sufficient volume of water to keep up and ensure there is adequate water in the reservoir. If the system operates in this manner for an extended period of time, the reservoir level can be depleted entirely resulting in loss of water to customers, and / or compromised water quality.
To preserve the water supply and avoid system shut downs, the RDNO asks customers to not use water outdoors during freshet (increased flows resulting from snow and ice melt in the rivers). Notification will be provided to customers during these times via road signs, the GRW email alert system, and the RDNO website. To help avoid water restrictions check out our water conservation tips on our water conservation page.
To ensure water remains clean and uncontaminated right to your tap, we have implemented a Cross Connection Control Program. Certain services at higher risk of introducing contaminates into the water system must install cross connection prevention devices as per Regional District of North Okanagan Cross Connection Control Regulation Bylaw No. 2651, 2014 (Bylaw 2651). These devices prevent contaminants from flowing backward within a piping system and into the potable (drinking) water system.