Water Quality

Water Source

UBC Okanagan faculty, staff and students often express interest in the source and quality of their drinking water on campus. Drinking water for the UBC Okanagan campus comes from Glenmore Ellison Irrigation District (GEID).  The GEID is an independent Public Water Utility and is one of five water suppliers in the City of Kelowna.

The district’s principal source of water is the McKinley reservoir which is filled from Okanagan lake.  All water is treated prior to be released into the distribution system.

Drinking Water Access

Tap water on campus has been listed as good from GEID. For added protection on campus, many water fountains are filtered with a Granular Activated Carbon (GAC)-10 model filters. The filter reduces unwanted taste, colour and chlorine from the water. “This Fountain is Filtered” signs have been placed above all fountains that are filtered with GAC-10 filters.

Funded by the Students’ Union, Facilities Management, the Sustainability office, and Health and Wellness, alternate water purification systems are available at kiosks in every major building on campus. Please keep in mind that these drinking water kiosks are not drains. Avoid putting any liquids into the kiosks.

Water Treatment and Quality

To ensure drinking water meets provincial regulations and federal guidelines for safe water consumption, the GEID has a monitoring program within the distribution system as well as in the watershed.  The Ministry of Health Services also regularly analyzes water from within the distribution system for bacteriological contamination and periodically for a wide range of chemical parameters. On campus, water testing is further augmented by Facilities Management and Health, Safety and Environment to look for chemical and microbiological parameters.

For additional information in regards to drinking water quality please review the:

Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

The GEID maintains certificates of water analysis for public review.