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October 2026 Update

November 01, 2026

Dear RRID Community,

Please find the following notes and updates for August and September 2026 from the team at the Robson-Raspberry Improvement District. 

News and Recent Events

  • Crews continue to discover and repair major distribution leaks during water meter pit installations, which saves water.
  • Stage 1 Watering Restrictions were lifted on September 30th as part of our normal schedule.
    • A big thanks to our operators and contractors for helping our community avoid Stage 2 Restrictions this past summer!
  • Months since last system water quality advisory: 2
  • Months since last system boil water notice: 40

Water Quantity and Quality

  • Demand is the sum of leakage and consumption.
  • Summer (July-Aug) demand was down about 15% from last year at roughly 2,750 L/connection/d.
    • This is near the limit of what the current plant is capable of without a Stage 2 Restriction or upgrade.
  • September demand was down 42% from last year at 1,650 L/connection/d.
  • Treated water turbidity this summer was less than 0.1 NTU. Crystal clear.

Repairs and Upgrades

  • The McDiarmid / Lower Foxlee neighbourhood has non-potable plastic distribution piping. We have installed over land feed to affected homes per regulator guidance. WSA Engineering has designed the piping replacement. Marwest and a specialist contractor will be installing a new feeder main pipe through the neighbourhood’s existing pipe during the month of October. As part of this work, the Upper Foxlee feeder main will be relocated to the boulevard.
  • On September 24, the raw water settling pond was de-sludged by a crew of 4 over the course of a full day. The pond receives pulses of sediment from driveways upstream during storm events. Removal of sediment in the pond helps protect sensitive treatment equipment.
  • Ultrafiltration Train No. 3 suffered a catastrophic pipe failure in late September and is offline for repair. We are grateful the failure did not occur during summer high demand (emergency narrowly avoided).
  • Although we made good progress with fixing leaks in recent months, new leaks continue to arise in the distribution system. Pressure has been fluctuating as a result, and Operations staff have been responding accordingly. Reminder that each home should have a pressure reducing valve installed, as we need to ensure the end of the line, and the fire department, have sufficient mainline pressure.
  • Leaks are hard to find. Please reach out if you hear any running water in your basement or see unusually green or spongy sections of turf.

Water Meters

  • In 2026 the RRID was awarded $4M by the province to participate in a home water meter pilot study. Over the last year, the distribution system was mapped using modern tools and meter pits installed. To date only 11 meter pits remain to be installed at property boundaries. The next phase of work will be to install the water meter devices inside the underground pits, which will begin later this month and will require contractors access the pits.
  • In 2027, the RRID hopes to hire a consultant to provide options for a new billing structure based on meter data.

RDCK Acquisition

  • On January 14th, 2026 a public open house was held with the RDCK at Robson Hall regarding system acquisition.
  • During the month of March, 2026, the community voted in favour of exploring acquisition of our water system by the RDCK.
  • Over the summer, the RDCK then conducted a technical-economic analysis of what an acquisition could entail.
  • The next step is a public vote on whether the community is in favour of the conversion, meaning Robson-Raspberry owners will have their say. The date for the referendum will be assigned sometime this winter and there will be ample notice ahead of time.

Watershed

  • The RRID was awarded fresh grant funds from the Regional District to create a Source Water Protection Plan for our 200 km2 watershed. Western Water Associates Ltd has been retained to produce the Plan, and inspected the watershed on October 7th. This initiative will identify and help protect against major risks to source drinking water quality and quantity for the next generation.
  • The RRID board reached out to several water user groups in the Pass Creek watershed for support on watershed signs. All parties contacted declined.
  • Excessive algae growth in the watershed was noted this summer, which caused multiple fouling events in our strainers.
  • The unmanaged Rec Sites and Trails campsite first saw campers in early April, and remained busy throughout the summer.

Taxes and Tolls

  • The RRID outlined its position on taxes and tolls in the March 2026 Ratepayer Summary, which describes the outcome of the 2026 asset planning study. The Ratepayer Summary was handed out at the 2026 AGM and is available on our website.

 

Your neighbours,

The Robson-Raspberry Improvement District

Our Community. Our Water.