The District of 100 Mile House is taking steps towards softening its water supply.
Council voted unanimously last week to approve a grant application through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for a pilot bulk softening project, expected to cost about $300,000. Council also voted to commit to the district’s share of the pilot cost, anticipated to be around $75,000.
“Council and the community have hoped that we could try to find some solutions to the perceived and real water issues with the hardness,” Chief Administrative Officer Roy Scott said at the Feb. 8 meeting. “This is one of the steps that we’re trying to study and based on testing, to see if this particular methodology will actually work.”
The technology being explored by the district is lime softening. According to a USEPA information package provided by district staff, this is ideal for small- scale groundwater systems, servicing between 500 and 3,000 people.
The process involves adding hydrated lime to raw water to raise the pH level, which removes calcium carbonate. Benefits listed in the information package include the reduction of minerals and scale-forming tendencies. A noted drawback of having “excessively soft water” is corrosion in pipes, which can shorten the service life of pipes and household appliances.
Issues with hard water in 100 Mile House have been under discussion since 2017 when a new water treatment plant was constructed and the district shifted from a combination of ground and surface water to exclusively groundwater. This was undertaken following a review of the potable water system in 2014 when it was determined that the surface water from Bridge Creek was no longer a viable source as it could no longer meet the maximum daily demand.
Mayor Mitch Campsall said complaints about the hard water over the past several years have not fallen on deaf ears.
“Staff has been looking at this ever since we got the new well, it’s something that has been ongoing,” Campsall said last week. “I know Roy and I have talked about it many, many times. It hasn’t been something that was just put on a shelf.”
Staff reiterated that they’re taking a “cautious approach” to the pilot project, noting they will need to prove its effectiveness before any long-term plans are made.
Scott confirmed the grant announcements are expected to be made in early 2023. If the application is approved, pilot trials could get underway next year with further construction funding opportunities explored if the trials are successful.
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