The Village of Pemberton operates two water systems: the Village system and the Industrial Park system, and supplies water to the Pemberton North Water System (PNWS) which is owned and maintained by the Squamish Lillooet Regional District.
The main Village system withdraws water from the Pemberton Creek Fan Aquifer through wells. These wells supply the entire Village of Pemberton population as well as meeting the demands of the PNWS. The Industrial Park system is separate from the Village system and is supplied with metered water from the neighboring Lil’wat Nation through a water use agreement.
For more information about key infrastructure within the Pemberton Water system view the Water Infrastructure Summary.
Since 2009, the Village has been chlorinating using sodium hypochlorite for both primary disinfection and to maintain the minimum free chlorine residual throughout the distribution system. Since 2017, the Village has also used soda ash conditioning to increase the pH and alkalinity of the well water to minimize corrosivity.
For the detailed report and full result listings, please refer to the most recent Drinking Water System Annual Report.
2022 Water Treatment Investigation Report
2020 Water System Performance Assessment
April 24, 2018 - Report to Council on Water Treatment & Soda Ash Project
April 25, 2018 - Water Conditioning Project Update
November 2017 - Water Conditioning Project Update
May 2017 - Water Conditioning Project Update
March 2017 - Water Conditioning Project Update
March 10, 2016 - Drinking Water Quality
March 11, 2016 - Drinking Water Quality Additional Points
March 11, 2016 - Water Quality Sampling Area
March 14, 2016 - Drink Water Backgrounder
March 15, 2016 - Drinking Water Update
March 17, 2016 - Frequently Asked Questions
March 17, 2016 - Drinking Water Town Hall Meeting Scheduled
March 18, 2016 - Response to Open Letter from Mayor Richman
March 30, 2016 - Drinking Water Test Results
April 6, 2016 - Memo from VCH's Medical Health Officer to Pemberton Doctors
April 8, 2016 - Letter to Families from School District No. 48
April 16, 2016 - Q & A from Drinking Water Town Hall Meeting & Community Forum
April 21, 2016 - Memo from the Chief Medical Health Officer
May 6, 2016 - Media Release: Village of Pemberton Approves the Implementation of Water Conditioning
July 18, 2016 - Water Treatment Update
2016 Water Facility Inspection Report
2014 KWL Water Rate Implementation
2008 Earth Tech Water Rate Study Report
Who Governs Your Water Flowchart (7.5 MG)
Drinking Water Graphic Timeline
Town Hall Meeting Graphic Recording
The current Village of Pemberton water falls within the acceptable levels for pH as established by the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ).
The following are excerpts from Health Canada Website http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/ph/index-eng.php and are meant to provide a very brief overview of PH levels in our drinking water.
There are no specific health effects on which to base limits for the pH of drinking water. The main purpose in controlling pH is to produce water in which corrosion and incrustation are minimized. These processes, which can cause considerable damage to the water supply system, result from complex interactions between pH and other parameters such as dissolved solids, dissolved gases, hardness, alkalinity and temperature.
The Village of Pemberton operates a wellfield to extract water from an aquifer for potable water supply. The wellfield consists of two primary wells and a backup well used in emergency purposes that supplies the Village of Pemberton and Pemberton North Water System (PNWS).
The Vancouver Coastal Health Authority issues the Permit to Operate the water system and has required that the Village prepare a Groundwater Protection Plan for their review as a condition of the Permit.