1. What is a water well? A well is an artificial opening in the ground made for the purposes of extracting and using water stored naturally below ground level.  There are generally three types of water wells: dug wells, drilled wells and driven sand point wells.  Sun Peaks has drilled wells with casings and protection installed to protect from surface contamination.  Installation has been done to AWWA standards and has been approved by the Province of BC and Interior Health.

2. Does Sun Peaks add fluoride to the water?  No, nothing has been added to the Water at Sun Peaks other than chlorine that is used to oxidize some of the natural occuring minerals and protect customers taking water from the distribution system.   We do leave between 0.5 and 1.0 mg/l (ppm) of chlorine in the system in order to ensure that there is some free Chlorine left in the water to ensure the water leaving your taps is safe to drink.

3. Why does the chlorine smell so strong at my house?  Sun Peaks  keeps the level of available (free) chlorine between 0.5 & 0.8 mg/l in the water that arrives at your tap.   Chlorine is called an ‘unstable chemical’ in water and if the water in your taps has not been run for a while, the little bit of chlorine that you smell is due to off-gassing.   The simplest way to deal with this, it to run your highest tap for a minute or so and freshen the water up.  If you are conserned about the amount of chlorine you are smelling, please give us a call at 250-2020 and we can have one of our technicians visit your property and test the water for you.

4. Do I have to worry about run off affecting the water quality? No, because our water is sourced from deep wells, run off is not an issue.

5. How is our water classified for hardness? Sun Peaks’ water is classified as medium hard. The result of hard water is difficulty making lather or suds for washing and a build up of minerals on taps and on other fixtures. The degree of hardness in drinking water is commonly classified in terms of its calcium carbonate concentration as follows:

• Hardness levels between 80 and 100 mg/L (as CaCO₃) are generally considered to provide an acceptable balance between corrosion and incrustation. Waters with hardness levels in excess of 200 mg/L are considered poor but have been tolerated by consumers

For more information, click on the links to the Government of BC’s Water Stewardship’s Bulletins on Hardness in Groundwater and Iron & Manganese in Groundwater.

6. Why does my water sometimes smell and taste like chlorine? Sun Peaks’ raw water is treated using chlorine as an oxidant to remove manganese and iron. The Utility keeps a low residual chlorine amount in the water to ensure protection of the water down stream (in the distribution grid). Sometimes if the water sits in the pipes for a long period of time (like many vacation homes that are not used for weeks at a time), the chlorine can separate out and cause a chlorinated smell when the water is first turned on. If you run the water for a few minutes, the smell will dissipate.

6. Do we have watering restrictions at Sun Peaks? Sun Peaks encourages zero landscaping and therefore does not restrict the use of water for this purpose.  However, outside water usage is restricted as Stage I from May 1st to September 30th each year.   Additional restrictions may take place from time to time for other reasons.  Information is available under the home page and the Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality’s website at www.sunpeaksmunicipality.ca

7. Why are low-flush toilets mandatory at Sun Peaks?   Sun Peaks Utilities mandates many ultra-low flow plumbing fixtures to encourage customers to conserve water at the resort. All properties (commercial and residential) within the resort are metered. Thus, by using low-flow fixtures, customers have a direct impact on how much they pay for water on an annual basis.

8. How much water is used by the average person at Sun Peaks? The average amount of water used per person is approximately 216 litres per day. This is well below the Canadian average of 385 litres per person per day.

9. Water Conservation Tips – Click here to get 17 tips on conserving water.  Or Google ‘water conservation tips’ for more ideas.

10. What is a Boil Water Advisory? A boil water advisory is issued by the Municipality when there is either a known/or suspected threat to drinking water.  This might include the impact of a broken water main, addition of a new section of the water distribution system or moving a fire hydrant due to the water main being depressurized or a sample comes back showing contamination.   A Boil Water Order is issued when the public health officials determine that there is contamination of the water supply.   Boiling your water is the best way to ensure that your water is safe to drink if the issue is bacterial contamination.

11. How do chemicals get into my water? Many chemicals, such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and others, occur naturally in water in small amounts, and are not harmful to your health.

12. How do I change my billing address or advise that my property is sold or I have bought a new property?  Please contact the billing department at finance@sunpeaksmunicipality.ca to make those changes.

Quick Facts

• Of the world’s freshwater supply, about one third is found underground.
• Once evaporated, a water molecule spends about 10 days in the air.
• Canada holds 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, but only has 7 percent of the world’s fresh renewable water.
• On average, 6 percent of Canada’s urban population live in municipalities that do not provide sewage treatment.
• Water consumption usually drops 18-25 percent after a water meter is installed.
• Toilets (while consuming nearly one quarter of our municipal water supply) use over 40% more water than needed.
• Many homes lose more water from leaky taps than they need for cooking and drinking.
• Residential indoor water use in Canada: toilet – 30 percent, bathing and showering – 35 percent, laundry – 20 percent, kitchen and drinking – 10 percent, cleaning – 5 percent.
• Water uses and consumption: toilet flush – 15-20L, shower (10 min.) – 100L, tub bath – 60L, automatic dishwashing – 40L, dishwashing by hand – 35L, hand washing – 8L, brushing teeth – 10L, outdoor watering – 35L/min., washing machine – 225L.