Funding approved to alleviate pressure issues in 108 Mile Water System

The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) has decided to allocate up to $1 million from the Community Works Fund, a grant, for the construction of a new booster station for the 108 Mile Water System.

This vote took place during the Aug. 15 board meeting, with the project being considered a high priority in the CRD asset management plan. Additionally, the CRD will be applying to the Union of B.C. Municipalities (UBCM)’s Strategic Priorities Fund grant program for $1.2 million in funding for phase two of the project, which will include above-ground pressure relief valve installations to remedy the current confined spaces necessary to perform maintenance on the system’s pressure relief valves (PRVs).

Kelly McDonald, the manager of utilities with the CRD, said that the 108 water system was taken over by the regional district around 1990. In a water system, pressure issues typically mean abnormal water pressure levels, which can either be too high, too low, or unstable, which can impact the system’s performance and potentially cause damage.

In July 2025, the 108 Water System came under a precautionary boil water notice due to a substantial water main break, as well as a loss of pressure in large areas of the system. It lasted for around five days.

Since before the CRD acquired ownership of the water system, McDonald said they have known about the water pressure issues. She said this partially due to the area’s geography, noting the 108 Mile Ranch is hilly, creating different elevations throughout the community, which affects the pressure.

“We currently have one booster station for one area, but on the other side of the lake, we’ve been wanting to put another one in because the pressure is borderline,” McDonald noted. “That’s what we’re trying to accomplish right now, just to bring the pressure up for a group of users on the east side of the lake.”

The borderline pressure McDonald refers to is the area between 20 PSI, which is the minimum pressure the CRD is required to maintain under Interior Health (IH) regulations, and 60 PSI, which is what the CRD aims to bring to a house.

“We would like to bring it up, just to bring service to the residents there,” McDonald added.

A booster station would bring up the pressure for the localized area. However, booster stations are expensive.

In documents attached to the Aug. 15 agenda, a letter by TRUE Consulting stated that the construction of the water booster station would cost an estimated $1.45 million. Broken down, this would include $135,000 for the foundation of the building, $450,000 for the structure, $260,000 for the electrical work, $345,000 for the mechanical work, $35,000 for driveway relocation and site grading, $70,000 for the water pipe and valves, and $25,000 to relocate drainage pipes. Additionally, around $130,000 in engineering and contract admin was added. The majority of the cost would be covered by the grant.

“It’s quite an expensive fix,” McDonald explained, “That’s why we’re using grant money for the majority of it, because otherwise the residents would be hit pretty hard.”

McDonald said the CRD aims to begin construction on the new booster station by next spring.

Phase two of the project will involve some looping of dead ends to ensure the water quality does not decrease.

“When it sits too long, the age increases, and your water quality will decrease,” McDonald explained. “So we’re going to try and do some looping, and we’re going to add some pressure relief valve stations, which will further smooth out the overall pressure of the system.”

The intake for the UBCM’s Strategic Priorities Funds was announced back in May 2025. Regional Districts were allowed to submit four projects, with one of them being capacity building. McDonald said there had not been a lot of heads-up for the funding.

“We’re submitting to try and get half of it paid for a phase two through a federal grant,” McDonald explained. Application adjudication for any UBCM application may take between 12-18 months. If the application is approved, the CRD said in the agenda that scope can be added to the first two phases of the project.

“It would help dramatically if we are successful in that bid,” McDonald explained.