Civic Operations crews from Kamloops working to drain a broken water main ahead of repairs which prompted the City of Kamloops to shut down water supplies to much of east Kamloops as of 9am on Tuesday, May 12, 2026/via City of Kamloops
UPDATE 5:12:
The City of Kamloops says repair efforts on the critical water line supplying east Kamloops were unsuccessful Tuesday, and the system remains compromised as crews shift to a more extensive repair plan expected to continue into Wednesday morning.
In a 5:00 pm news release, the City said crews are now preparing to refill reservoirs in order to gradually re-establish water service to impacted areas, but residents east of Rose Hill must continue avoiding all water use to allow the system to recover.
Once reservoir levels stabilize, crews are expected to resume major repair work on the damaged line on Wednesday morning, May 13. During that time, any available water supply will be reserved for essential use only in affected neighbourhoods.
City officials say residents in impacted areas must not consume water at this time, with further direction to be issued once it is safe to resume normal use and any additional boil water or do-not-consume advisories are finalized.
The prolonged outage continues to affect roughly 19,000 residents and approximately 7,500 homes in east Kamloops.
To support residents during the disruption, the City says potable water trucks will operate 24 hours a day beginning at midnight Wednesday through midnight Friday at Valleyview Arena, Dallas Park, and the BC Wildlife Park. Starting Saturday, potable water will remain available daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. for at least five additional days.
Residents are being asked to bring their own containers for water collection.
Mandatory water restrictions also remain in effect for all homes and businesses within the impacted area as crews continue working to restore the system.
The City thanked residents for their patience and cooperation as emergency operations continue.
UPDATE 1:17:
The City of Kamloops says crews have now located the broken 500-millimetre feeder main in east Kamloops and have begun repairs, with officials hoping to restore water flow to the area by early evening Tuesday.
Speaking at a media update, civic operations assistant director and public works divisional manager, Joe Luison said crews are currently excavating and repairing the line, which sits approximately 12 feet underground. Once repairs are complete, water will be gradually reintroduced into the system, though residents should expect a staged return as reservoirs are refilled.
“We’re hoping to be moving water late in the day today,” Luison said, adding that full restoration of normal service will take time as the system recharges.
Once water is restored, the City says it will issue both boil water advisories and do-not-consume notices depending on location. Some areas — particularly farm-status and industrial zones — will be under do-not-consume orders, while other neighbourhoods will be advised to boil water before use. Health authority clearance could take up to seven days once testing begins.
Officials emphasized that the restrictions will be mapped and communicated through public updates and alerts, and residents are urged to follow guidance closely as the system stabilizes.
The shutdown, which currently affects an estimated 7,500 homes and roughly 19,000 residents east of Rose Hill, was triggered after a valve failure on Sunday led to the discovery of the larger main break.
Luison said the utility attempted to maintain service while locating the leak, but reservoir levels dropped faster than expected during the search and excavation process.
While some criticism has been raised about voluntary conservation compliance, Luison said earlier water use restrictions were intended to extend the time available to complete repairs safely.
Joe Luison – Public Works Divisional Manager (2026-05-12)
“I won’t say we wouldn’t be in this situation, but we would have had more time,” he noted.
The City is continuing to coordinate with Interior Health as it prepares water quality advisories and clearance protocols.
In the meantime, emergency water distribution remains in place at several locations across the city, including BC Wildlife Park, Valleyview Arena, Juniper Park, Dallas Park, Todd Hill Park, and Rose Hill Park, where bottled water and non-potable supplies are available for residents.
City officials say those distribution sites may be scaled back once tap water service is safely restored later today, though full household usability will depend on system stabilization and health authority direction.
Authorities say fire suppression capacity remains a priority as reservoirs are refilled and system pressures are gradually brought back online.
ORIGINAL:
A major water shutdown affecting east Kamloops.
The City’s Emergency Operations Center has issued a bulletin, saying that water supplies are completely cut off for a large portion of the eastern half of the City, from Rose Hill to the end of the City Limits.
This, after a break in the key water line providing water services to east Kamloops was finally discovered this morning, after crews began searching for the leak through Monday.
The City says to maintain the continuity of water for the rest of the community, those living in an area east of Rose Hill are being cut off from additional water supplies until further notice.
No word on when the water main will be repaired to allow water to once again flow into east Kamloops, though a limited amount of water may still remain in the reservoir system from the point of shutdown as of 9am Tuesday.
The City does warn that it reserves the right to enter a property and physically shut off the water to those who are not complying with the notification, with fines a possibility as well.
City of Kamloops crews digging a hole to access a water main break which forced the shutdown of water supplies to east Kamloops on Tuesday morning, May 12, 2026/via City of Kamloops
Civic Operations Director Jenn Fretz says the City has been forced to play a heavier hand after requests Monday were otherwise ignored.
“We are, unfortunately, in a situation where the east side of Kamloops is essentially out of water,” noted Fretz while addressing City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday morning. “We put out some messaging yesterday [Monday] asking people to conserve water as best they could, and unfortunately we were literally out this [Tuesday] morning turning people’s irrigation off.”
The City is now making potable water available for residents at the BC Wildlife Park, Valleyview Arena, Juniper Park, Dallas Park, Todd Hill Park and Rose Hill Park.
Bottled water is also being made available at those locations, though residents should bring their own containers to fill for further use.
It comes as the City has been trying to locate the source of a water main leak since Sunday along River Road, and had been asking residents to voluntarily ease back on their water use as a result.
Now that the City has located the break, it says the steps are necessary to repair the break, which suggests the water shutdown should not be overly prolonged.
More to come…
