Drinking water
The Town's Operations and Public Works department ensures the efficient and effective delivery of clean drinking water to our community. Golden's water is collected from a ground water aquifier. Aquifers can be natural filters that trap sediment and pathogens to provide natural purification of the ground water flowing through them. In Golden’s case, our water quality is excellent and doesn’t require filtration or chemical treatments to remove contaminants.
The Town of Golden's water system is comprised of:
- Four groundwater wells with a combined total design pumping capacity of 76 litres per second.
- Five reservoirs with a total storage capacity of about 6.96 Mega Litres.
Operations staff maintain approximately 39 kilometres of water pipes with ongoing work to protect our water with a robust groundwater protection program. Crews are ready to respond and address service interruptions 24 hours a day.
Sewer Services
All of the water that is flushed down toilets, drained from bathtubs and sinks or used to wash clothes, drains into the sewage collection system.
The Town's sewer system is comprised of seven lift stations and one sewage treatment plant, with a collection system capacity to process 4251 cubic metres per day of effluent. Operations staff is responsible for the maintenance of approximately 36 kilometres of sewer lines.
The effluent treatment process includes UV disinfection, a chemical free process, that discharges high quality effluent that is environmentally friendly. The Town of Golden consistently meets or exceeds permit requirements for effluent that is discharged from the sewage treatment facility.
Water and Sewer Master Reports
The information in the Integrated Water Strategy Report, Sanitary Sewer Model and Master Plan, and Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrades Feasibility Study are important for understanding Town infrastructure and planning for the future of Golden’s infrastructure:
- Integrated Water Strategy (March 2025)
- Sewage Treatment Plant Upgrades Feasibility Study (February 18, 2025 Council meeting – recording available on YouTube)
- Sanitary Sewer Model and Master Plan and Appendices (June 2024)
Estimated Cost Considerations
The reports above appropriately contain either Class C or D cost estimates that have been prepared based on high-level conceptual planning only. The contingency allowance carried in all report estimates is 35% with a 15% factor identified for engineering.
The Engineers and Geoscientists BC (formerly Association for Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC) states the following with respect to these types of cost estimates:
Class C estimate (±25-40%): An estimate prepared with limited site information and based on probable conditions affecting the project. It represents the summation of all identifiable project elemental costs and is used for program planning, to establish a more specific definition of client needs and to obtain preliminary project approval.
Class D estimate (±50%): A preliminary estimate which, due to little or no site information, indicates the approximate magnitude of cost of the proposed project, based on the client's broad requirements. This overall cost estimate may be derived from lump sum or unit costs for a similar project. It may be used in developing long term capital plans and for preliminary discussion of proposed capital projects.
Cost estimates provided for the water booster stations are based on full station replacements vs renovations that may provide for increase pumping capacity.
View the full staff report presented to Council on April 15, 2025.