Surveying work to advance future water upgrades in North-end

Public Service Announcement

The service roads and several trails below the First Lookout leading to the water reservoirs on Knox Mountain will be closed beginning Monday, Aug. 26, until Thursday, Aug. 29, for survey work on the southwest slope of Knox Mountain. 

This work is part of geotechnical and geophysical investigations that will be ongoing through the Fall to advance the design for future water transmission mains as part of a number of future upgrades to the drinking water supply from Poplar Point to support resiliency and growth in the City’s central core.  

Trail closures are necessary to allow for equipment access and safety of personnel and trail users. People can continue to use the Apex trail and Knox Mountain Road to access the First Lookout. There may be temporary disruptions to the disc golf course on Poplar Point Drive and players are asked to be aware of their surroundings. The City of Kelowna and onsite crews appreciate your patience during the investigation and apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Visitors to the park are asked to respect safety personnel and signage depicting the closures onsite.  

New transmission mains are needed to provide additional capacity and meet water demand between Knox Mountain Reservoir, Dilworth Reservoir and reservoir storage to the north. Construction is planned for 2025.  

The surveying and investigative work will obtain detailed geotechnical information, including assessment of slope stability, excavation and trenching requirements, pipe backfilling expectations, and future trench anchoring requirements to advance the design of new water transmission mainlines, including routing alignments, and support other transmission mainline work anticipated between Poplar Point and the Knox Mountain Reservoir. 

Other areas of Knox Mountain Park will remain open throughout the investigations.   

For more information, visit kelowna.ca/cityprojects.