Cloudy water during intake system testing in Kamloops still safe, says city

Nov 18, 2018 | 2:34 PM

KAMLOOPS —As the final testing of the North Thompson Emergency Water Intake system gets underway soon, the City of Kamloops warns any potential cloudy-looking water is in fact, safe.

Utility Services Manager Greg Wightman, says construction of the emergency system is almost wrapped up, with testing coming up over the next two weeks.

“On the 28th there, we’re going to be running a test that has the potential to stir up some of the sediment in the water system and produce some cloudy-looking water,” Wightman explains, “Definitely no health impact at all, but there could be some potential for cloudy-looking water.”

The system has been under construction for a little over a year, according to Wightman, and will be a backup in case of a major contamination event in the South Thompson River.

“Then we would open this one up, we would start drawing water out of the North Thompson, and that would provide critical water for things like fire protection, indoor and domestic use for toilets and things like that.”

Wightman says if there comes a time when the emergency system is needed, there would be a ban on outdoor water use, and the water would not be drinkable.

He adds, the city is anticipating some calls about the water cloudiness and residents should just let the tap run for a little longer to let it clear up.