Where Vancouver water comes from

Vancouver drinking water starts as surface water (rivers, lakes, or reservoirs). The named sources on the utility record are Capilano Reservoir, Seymour Reservoir, Coquitlam Reservoir. That is the water that eventually reaches kitchen taps after treatment, not a separate bottled brand.

Vancouver uses more than one treatment plant (Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant; Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant). Utilities often run plants in parallel so different neighbourhoods can be served, or so one plant can cover for another during maintenance. Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant: Metro Vancouver plant treating Capilano and Seymour source water (filtration and UV); Canada’s largest drinking-water filtration plant. Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant: Metro Vancouver plant treating Coquitlam source water with ozone, UV, and chlorine; typically unfiltered because of historically low turbidity.

After treatment, water moves through pumps, storage, and underground mains to reach streets and buildings. City of Vancouver purchases wholesale treated water from Metro Vancouver (Greater Vancouver Water District) and operates the local distribution system of mains, reservoirs, and services within city limits.

One detail that makes Vancouver water feel local: Source watersheds are closed to the public; alpine supplemental lakes in the Seymour supply area can be drawn in high summer demand. Lab grades for hardness, lead, and pH sit on the city water quality page; this overview is about the route the water travels.