Water

The Town of Creston has 3 separate water sources available to provide drinking water to the community. The primary supply of potable water is delivered from the Arrow Creek Water Treatment Plant that is operated by the RDCK (Regional District of Central Kootenay). The water system derives source water from Arrow Creek, which is classified as a Community Watershed, supplying water to both Erickson and Creston. Water from Arrow Creek accounts for over 99% of the current potable water supply for the Town of Creston. 

Additionally, the Town of Creston maintains two potable groundwater wells within the confines of Creston itself that are independently capable of providing an adequate potable water supply for the community. Water conservation measures taken by the Town and Columbia Brewery, combined with water system optimization practices, have effectively eliminated the requirement for the operation of the Creston groundwater source wells. Both wells are maintained and run weekly to ensure that the Town of Creston has a sustainable water supply in the event of any emergency contingency.

Each of Creston’s two groundwater source wells can independently supply enough water for the Town water supply demand even during peak consumption in the summer months. The groundwater wells are connected to the water distribution grid that supplies the Town’s potable water. Four closed reservoirs are located at strategic geographical points within Town, ensuring that adequate supply and water pressure are maintained throughout the community. 63 kilometers of water main interconnect the Town reservoirs to the community. 2844 residential connections and 236 commercial/industrial connections ensure that the Town population of 5351 (2016 Census) have unrestricted access to the Town water supply.

Creston’s water meets, or is better than, all federal and provincial health-related guidelines. The Town of Creston’s water quality from all available potable water sources is tested bi-annually at an independent accredited Laboratory for a full spectrum of basic water chemistry parameters. Additionally, the Town of Creston conducts 6 samples on a weekly basis from locations throughout the Town water distribution system that is representative of the entire distribution grid and the individual water sources.