Reservoirs key to Kamloops’ water restrictions: KFR chief

KAMLOOPS — Kamloops’ fire chief took the opportunity to dispel a common misconception at Monday’s (July 27) Safety and Security Select Committee meeting at Kamloops City Hall.

The question often posed to city staff is related to water restrictions put in place due to drought conditions – why are the strict measures needed when the Thompson Rivers are at high levels and they supply the city’s water?

Kamloops Fire Rescue Chief Ken Uzeloc says the key is what comes between the river intake and the tap – storage reservoirs.

“Our water goes through the system and into reservoirs across the city,” said Uzeloc. “If we have a large fire, we can burn through those reservoir reserves quite fast and it takes an extended amount of time to build up those reservoirs again. If we have a whole bunch of people using the water, that puts it down low to start.”