The Comox Valley Water Treatment Project is more than 85 per cent complete, with $108 million of the $126 million budget spent.
“We are flying towards the end of construction,” project manager Charlie Gore said Tuesday at the Comox Valley Water Committee meeting.
In the past year, crews have installed eight kilometres of pipeline.
Milestones include hyrdro-testing of the lake intake and marine pipeline, and of the treated water transmission main pipe.
Upcoming work includes energizing the raw water pump station and water treatment plant (WTP), hydro-testing tanks, and starting up WTP equipment.
The clearwell at the WTP is used to store treated water. The size of the clearwell is 10 million litres — equal to four Olympic swimming pools.
There will also be upgrades to the trailhead next to the WTP on Lake Trail Road.
The project kicked off in the fall of 2019, and is expected to be complete this summer.
“I think we’re doing extremity well, and we’re confident that we’ll complete this project under budget,” Gore said.
In terms of community employment benefits, Gore said the actual hours far exceed committed hours for Indigenous peoples, apprentices and under-represented populations.
About 160 people are working on the project — which was mandated by Island Health because the current system does not comply with provincial surface water treatment guidelines. The water treatment system will remove the risk of viruses and bacteria, and provide a secure supply of drinking water for 45,000 residents.
FMI: comoxvalleyrd.ca/watertreatment