The City of West Kelowna says drinking water for roughly 300 residences could be compromised after one of its reservoirs was breached overnight.

Patrick Pulak, West Kelowna’s general manager of operations, said the city received an intrusion alarm at its Tallus Ridge reservoir overnight and, on arrival, found the lock protecting the equipment had been cut and the hatch removed.

The city immediately cut the reservoir off from the general water supply, he said, but now has to take steps to make sure it is safe for people in the area to consume what is coming out of their taps.

“If it was a bacterial or organic contamination, a boil water advisory would suffice,” he said. “But in this case, because it could be chemical in nature, boiling water doesn’t change anything. So it’s out of an abundance of caution.”

Pulak said roughly 300 residences are impacted by the order, which he expects to be in place through the weekend.

“We’re working with Interior Health,” he said. “They’ve indicated we have to have two consecutive lab samples taken 24 hours apart come back as non-contaminated, so this morning one sample was sent into Vancouver and another sample will be sent in tomorrow morning.”

He said the city has requested an expediated analysis in order to reduce the impact on residents.

He said people can still shower and clean clothes and dishes with their water but they should avoid ingesting it. Anyone who needs drinking water is being directed to a bulk water station in the area, which can be accessed for free.

West Kelowna RCMP are investigating and asking anyone who may have witnessed something in the area of Big Sky Drive between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. PT Thursday to reach out to investigators.

A full map and list of addresses impacted by the advisory, as well as updates, can be found at westkelowna.ca/waterquality.