Metro Vancouver’s drinking water system
Metro Vancouver’s water comes from rainfall and snowmelt in three major watersheds: Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam. These protected watersheds comprise about 60,000 hectares and are closed to public access to safeguard the high-quality source water.
The water supply is stored in three main source storage reservoirs and three supplemental alpine reservoirs. Metro Vancouver benefits from having existing supply sources which reliably refill, are in close proximity to the rapidly growing region that they service, and are situated at high elevations that allow for the delivery of water largely by gravity, reducing the need for energy-intensive pumping.
The regional water system also includes five dams, two water treatment plants, 27 in-system storage reservoirs and tanks that refill on a 24-hour cycle, 19 pump stations, eight disinfection facilities, and over 520 kilometres of transmission water mains ranging from 35 cm to 3 m diameter.
Municipal drinking water infrastructure
From the regional system, water is conveyed to individual homes and businesses via municipally owned and operated infrastructure. In addition to the facilities Metro Vancouver operates, your municipality also operates urban reservoirs, a network of underground pipes and other infrastructure. Your municipality also collects water samples for quality control.
Metro Vancouver and its members work together to supply high-quality drinking water to the region.
Metro Vancouver is responsible for protecting and providing the region's water supply, including: protecting our watersheds; storing, treating and ensuring the quality of our water; supplying water directly to our members; and planning for future supply and demand.
Our members are responsible for providing water to residents and businesses, enforcing regulations, utility billing, and, where used, water metering.