By ROY WOOD

The regional district water road show came to Oliver Tuesday as about a dozen people gathered for a presentation on the future of water conservation, regulation and safety.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) is at the beginning stages of a project to create a region-wide water conservation strategy, a water-use bylaw and a cross connection bylaw.

With the help of a three-part PowerPoint presentation, RDOS water technologist Candace Pilling outlined the process and asked for input from the residents of Gallagher Lake and Loose Bay, for whom Tuesday’s meeting was intended.

According to documents created for the RDOS by Econics, a Victoria-based water sustainability consultant, the objectives of the regional water conservation strategy are:

•To create a single strategy for water systems owned and operated by the RDOS, including Faulder, Naramata, Olalla, Gallagher Lake, Loose Bay, Sun Valley, Willowbrook and West Bench;

•To provide a resource guide for conservation efforts; and

•To address recommendations from a 2017 performance audit by the auditor general for BC local governments and the objectives of the RDOS business plan, strategic plan and growth strategy.

The water use regulation and conservation bylaw aims to consolidate 20 existing bylaws into a single one for all the water systems owned and operated by the RDOS.

As well, the project will provide opportunity to modernize the rules so they are more aligned with best practices and to simplify the language used in the bylaw.

The cross connection bylaw will codify protective measures that ensure the potable water supply is not contaminated with non-potable water from a variety of sources.

This contamination occurs when two or more water systems are connected, directly or indirectly, and a drop in water pressure allows the non-potable water to be sucked into the potable system.

Such contamination is prevented by so-called “cross connection control devices,” including pressure vacuum breakers, various valve assemblies and air gaps.

The RDOS aims to create the bylaw around cross connections this year and implement it in 2018.

The education and feedback meeting schedule continues this week, with 6:30 meetings for Faulder water users at the Summerland library tonight and for West Bench residents at the RDOS office in Penticton on Thursday.