About us

Our History

In the beginnings...

On August 14th, 1953 the Lieutenant Governor in Council of British Columbia penned his signature to the document of the incorporation of Clearbrook Waterworks District (CWD).

This document, the Letter Patent, set the boundaries, established a Board of Trustees and described the governing regulations of the Board of Trustees for the new district. As the Clearbrook Village area grew, improved water supply became a necessity. A group of businessmen contacted the municipal affairs branch of the provincial government in Victoria, asking for assistance.

An improvement district was established for the purpose of supplying potable water and fire protection to the Clearbrook area. On August 20, 1953 a meeting was held at the fairgrounds in Clearbrook (presently the City Hall location), for the election of the first board of trustees. Mr. John J. Rempel was acting chairman, and the first board to be elected was Mr. Jacob Janzen, Mr. Wes Wolthers, Mr. Oliver Holmes, Mr. George Blair, and Mr. Dave Reddikopp. 160 initial connections were signed up, and subsequently increased to 250.

Year One - 279 Homes

By the end of the first year, 279 homeowners and businesses were committed to using water from the new system. The first annual meeting of CWD was held on March 15, 1954 at the fairgrounds. Construction of the new system began on May 15, 1954 and was completed and in operation two and one half months later. CWD's first production well was constructed in 1954 by Ed Novak. The well was (and still is) located at the Janzen well field on Janzen Street. The first piping contract was awarded to Mr. Jones. He installed 5,000 feet of pipe for $2,025.00. Nearly 30,000 feet of pipe were laid to complete the original system. As land use in the District changed from small farms to subdivisions, the boundaries were extended and the new subdivisions were connected to the distribution system.

A sampling of the initial water rates and fees:

• Membership fees: $2.00
• Connection fee for a 3/4" line: $25.00
• Larger pipes: $5.00 per 1/4" over 3/4" pipe sizes

Monthly water rates ranged from $1.00 to $2.50 depending on the size of the connection, etc. The membership fee of $2.00 helped pay the administrative costs and office expenses. On August 13, 1954 the official grand opening was held with our MLA, the Honourable Ken Kiernan present.

Expansion

The second well was drilled by Gus Freund in 1959 at Lynden Street (Lynden Well Field), followed by a third production well at Autumn Avenue (Autumn Well Field) in 1963. A small private water system consisting of 41 connections was hooked into the CWD system in the early 1970s. This system was located along Pineview Street and a few adjacent properties. Two reservoirs, totaling 35,000 gallons serviced the district until 1971.

Growth

As the district grew, so did the demand for larger water storage facilities. A half million gallon reservoir was built to replace a smaller reservoir. Subsequently another reservoir was built in 1977, and the third one in 1985. The three reservoirs, which are on a hilltop north of Old Yale Road, store 1.66 million gallons of water. The two former reservoirs have been dismantled. The construction of the many condominiums and apartments in the late 1970s and 80s put additional demand on the system. Over time many water mains were upgraded from 2" and 4" to 4", 6", 8", and 12" pipes. The upgrades were necessary in order to meet the fire flow requirements and volumes needed for the larger buildings. More wells were drilled in the following years:

1. Autumn Avenue - 1963, replaced in 2017
2. Autumn Avenue - 1987, replaced in 2014
3. Lynden Street - 1993, replaced in 2011
4. Lynden Street - 2000, replaced in 2013

The pumps at these wells are capable of delivering between 600 and 1000 gallons per minute.