COQUITLAM, B.C., June 4, 2024 – Thirsty in Coquitlam? Skip the higher costs of bottled water and filters and enjoy top-quality drinking water right from the tap.
Coquitlam’s diligent and proactive monitoring and maintenance of its water system continues to produce safe, clean and high-quality drinking water. As a water supplier, every year the City reports on its water quality to the public and local health authority. The 2023 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report can be found at coquitlam.ca/water.
Maintenance Helps Maintain Water Quality
Year-round maintenance helps keep Coquitlam’s water quality high, including:
- Robust Drinking Water Monitoring Program that collects and analyzes water samples throughout the year;
- Flushing one-third of the City’s water mains each year on a rotating basis, covering more than 100 kilometres in 2023;
- A tri-annual reservoir cleaning program, with Mountain, Noons Creek, and Conifer reservoirs cleaned in 2023;
- Maintaining chlorine levels to ensure sustained clean water;
- Monitoring of sections with reduced water flow and flushing to improve circulation; and
- Reducing residual chlorine levels by connecting dead-end mains into the water system through capital projects and new development.
Where Our Drinking Water Comes From
The water flowing out of taps in Coquitlam mostly comes from Coquitlam Lake and Seymour Lake and is treated by Metro Vancouver to make it safe for drinking.
Seymour Lake’s water is filtered then disinfected using ultraviolet (UV) light, while Coquitlam Lake’s water is treated by ozone and UV light. For both sites, Metro Vancouver also uses chlorine as a secondary disinfectant and adjusts pH levels to make the water more alkaline and less acidic in order to reduce pipe corrosion.
Learn More about Coquitlam’s Water System
The City of Coquitlam has developed an interactive guided story to show how safe, clean and reliable drinking water gets from the watershed to homes in our community.
Learn more about our Water System at coquitlam.ca/water. The webpage also includes a link to a map and app showing drinking water fountains in Coquitlam and around Metro Vancouver.
Media Contact
Jonathan Helmus
Director Utilities
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.