Unlike municipalities and regional districts, an improvement district does not qualify for grants or government funding Okanagan Falls, BC – The Okanagan Falls Irrigation District (OFID) also known as the Okanagan Falls Improvement District is an independent, standalone water system that provides water to just over 2200 residents. The irrigation district looks after the Okanagan Falls Cemetery, Centennial Park and administers the Okanagan Falls street lighting.

Although Ok Falls is surrounded by lakes and streams, the water available to residents and businesses comes from underground wells. The OFID has five wells: three in the upper zone and two in the lower zone. The upper zone is not chlorinated, whereas the lower zone is chlorinated.

The OFID developed an Asset Management Plan in 2018 and has followed the plan over the years, adding funds to both the replacement reserve fund and the capital reserve fund for future improvements. The Asset Management Plan is designed to help fund the renewal of all the infrastructure with the aim of becoming more sustainable.

In early 2021 a Water Master Plan was developed by engineers to identify several recommended projects to consider in order to bring the aging infrastructure up to current standards. The 17 recommended capital projects were prioritized to address the issues identified in the analysis of the existing water system. The combined cost estimate of all capital projects is approximately 4.63 million dollars. Although OFID is financially healthier than many districts, there is still a substantial shortfall.

One of the high-priority projects was a new dedicated water main to the lower reservoir. This project will help with the contact time needed to reduce the manganese in the lower zone. This project alone will cost approximately $500,000.

Future potential for further development is hindered due to the lack of current water capacity; therefore, any vision for a new and improved Ok Falls is not possible with the existing aging infrastructure.

“Like many smaller water systems, the OFID is facing infrastructure deficit challenges. We don’t collect or haven’t collected enough from the water payers to fund the renewal of all its infrastructure.” said Chair, Randy Perrett.

Okanagan Falls Irrigation District

1109 Willow Street – PO Box 110

Okanagan Falls, BC V0H 1R0