Public Tours of Water Supply Facilities

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Monday, May 6th, 2013
Long Tour: 9:30 am (returning at approximately 3 pm) Short Tour: 9:15 am (returning at approximately 12:15 pm) 1 pm (returning at approximately 4 pm)

Join us for the 24th annual public tours of the Greater Victoria Water Supply Area and water supply facilities in celebration of National Drinking Water Week. The tours are held from Monday May 6th to Saturday May 11th and leave from the Main Parking Lot at Thetis Lake Regional Park.

The tours provide a first-hand look at the Greater Victoria Water Supply Area and our water supply facilities. It provides an opportunity to learn more about the care taken to provide Greater Victoria with clean, safe drinking water.

We are doing something new in 2013. There are two tour options:

1. A long (5.5 hour) tour that takes the participants north to south through the Sooke and Goldstream water supply areas. There are several stops including a walk to the shoreline of Sooke Lake Reservoir, a look at Rithet Creek that supplies a quarter of the water to the reservoir, a forest walk, a lunch stop at the dam at Sooke Lake Reservoir, a stop at Goldstream Lake Reservoir and a tour of our ultraviolet disinfection facility. The long tour leaves at 9:30 a.m. each day returning at approximately 3:00 p.m.

2. A shorter three hour tour with a focus on water supply facilities visiting the dams at Sooke Lake and Goldstream Lake reservoirs and the ultraviolet disinfection facility. These shorter tours leave at 9:15 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
High schools have been offered the short tours in the morning, but if these tours are not booked by the end of the day Friday they will be open to the general public.

There are washrooms at each stop and on the bus.

Displays, hot beverages and covered seating are available at the dam at Sooke Lake Reservoir.

Please dress for the forecasted weather and bring lunch or snack and a water bottle. Morning tour participants will be able to fill their water bottle at our CRD water cart. Participants in the afternoon, please bring a full bottle.

Parking at Thetis Lake Regional Park is free for tour participants.

Please note: the tours are not recommended for children under 12.