We are excited to announce the 2026 technical tours! If you’re attending the Annual Conference & Trade Show in beautiful Penticton this year, add these technical tours to your list of things to do! These technical tours are designed for individuals interested in water and wastewater systems.

Date: Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Timing: 11:45 am – 3:15 pm
Facility Tour: 1 hour 30 minutes
Transportation: 2 hours (roundtrip by bus)  
Location: Meet at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre (273 Power Street, Penticton, BC) at the bus pick-up zone.  

Price: $39
Registration deadline: April 3, 2026
CEUs: 0.15
Safety Gear: Work boots or rain boots if wet outside, are recommended, no open toe or high heel shoes. Dress for the weather.

The Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant uses treatment processes including coagulation, flocculation, dissolved air flotation, filtration, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, chlorination, and potassium permanganate. Its multi-barrier system provides drinking water which exceeds federal and provincial guidelines.

The plant has the capacity to treat up to 70 million litres of water daily and was designed so the City can increase its capacity to 115 million litres per day to meet future demand.

The three-storey, 5,245-square-metre facility is located at 1500 Rosewood Drive and was built on 9.7 hectares of City-owned property. Planning and design began in 2019, with construction starting in 2020. The project was carried out by Maple Reinders Inc., a local Okanagan-area general contractor.

This tour is designed for professionals and students in the water and wastewater industry and individuals interested in sustainable infrastructure and water treatment approaches.

Date: Saturday, May 2, 2026
Timing: 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Tour of the facility: 1 hour 30 minutes
Transportation: 2 hours (roundtrip by bus)
Location: Departing from the Penticton Lakeside Resort (21 Lakeshore Drive West, Penticton, BC).

Price: $39
Registration deadline: April 3rd, 2026
CEUs: 0.2
Safety Gear: Work boots or rain boots if wet outside, are recommended, no open toe or high heel shoes. Dress for the weather. 

Kelowna Wastewater Treatment Facility

The Kelowna Wastewater Treatment Facility (WWTF) is a Level IV designated treatment facility, owned and operated by the City of Kelowna. It is staffed with 16 operators, 4 mechanical staff, and 5 E/I staff, and has been in operation at this site since 1913.

The facility currently utilizes modified Bardenpho technology to biologically reduce and remove nutrients from the wastewater stream. It has a rated capacity of 70,000 m³/day (70 MLD), with wastewater collected by 45 lift stations throughout the city, serving an equivalent population of approximately 140,000. The treatment facility discharges via a deep outfall into Lake Okanagan.

It is one of the first BNR (biological nutrient removal) plants in the world designed for cold-weather applications. The entire Okanagan region including Penticton, Central Okanagan Regional District, Summerland, Vernon, Lake Country, Salmon Arm, and Okanagan Falls has BNR facilities, making it the largest concentration of BNR plants in the world. Most discharge into Okanagan Lake, with a few exceptions. Ministry permit discharge parameters are extremely low due to the potential environmental impact on a lake with a retention time of approximately 60 years.

This tour is designed for professionals and students in the water and wastewater industry and individuals interested in sustainable infrastructure and water treatment approaches.