Homes in the Lower Zone of Okanagan Falls can expect to see brown water until the end of the week.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued a press release on Monday about the aggravated drop in water quality over the last week for residents in the Lower Zone.

According to the RDOS, the drop in quality beyond any ongoing issues occurred while they brought one of two wells offline for maintenance in the Lower Zone.

While the one well was taken offline, the remaining well was the only one supplying the Lower Zone.

The remaining well has elevated levels of iron and manganese in the water, which creates water quality issues, staining and discoloration in the water when exposed to the air such as while in the storage reservoir. As a result chlorine is required in the Lower Zone.

Normally both wells operate at the same time, blending the water together and reducing the total amount of iron and manganese in the water available to contribute to discolouration.

The RDOS conducts regular flushing of the distribution system, however, this only provides for temporary improvements.

The maintenance work on the offline is aimed to be complete by the end of the week.

Water Quality Issues in Lower Zone of the Okanagan Falls water systemhttps://t.co/ETGoJ3WXyD pic.twitter.com/vIhkx0TyWt

— Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (@RDOSinfo) February 13, 2023

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