The Village of Masset has released its 2024 Water Quality Report, confirming that the community’s drinking water remains safe and compliant with health standards. The report highlights major infrastructure upgrades completed in the past year and outlines further improvements planned for 2025.
The Village of Masset operates a water treatment and distribution system that serves 838 residents in Masset and 520 in Old Massett, including those in the Blue Jacket subdivision. The community’s water supply comes from two deep wells located within the water plant property. These wells draw from an aquifer classified as “under the influence” of surface water, but data indicate that seasonal precipitation has little impact on water quality.
Masset Water Quality Monitoring
Over the course of 2024, the water treatment plant processed 251 million litres of water, a significant increase from the 210 million litres treated in 2023. Old Massett received 72 million litres, while the Blue Jacket subdivision accounted for an additional 10.9 million litres.
The system is supported by two reservoirs, one located at the water treatment plant and another at the Old Massett distribution site. These reservoirs provide emergency water supply in case of fires or system disruptions. To ensure uninterrupted operation during power outages, the system is also equipped with a backup generator.
In 2023 and early 2024, the Village of Masset completed several major upgrades to improve efficiency, reliability and safety at the water treatment plant. The Master Control Centre (MCC) and Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), which manage the system’s core operations, were fully replaced. These changes modernized the plant’s automation, making it more efficient and reducing the risk of operational failures.
The well pump at well number two was upgraded, increasing its capacity from 42 cubic metres per hour to 85 cubic metres per hour. Corroded piping at the distribution header was replaced, and final programming adjustments were made to the SCADA system, allowing for remote monitoring and automated system alerts.
A backup generator was installed to provide emergency power in the event of outages, ensuring that the water supply remains stable even during prolonged disruptions. Additionally, improvements were made to chlorine safety procedures, an effort recognized in the Fall 2023 edition of WorkSafeBC Magazine.
As a result of these upgrades, the water treatment plant’s efficiency increased from 82 per cent in 2023 to 86 per cent in 2024.
Water quality testing conducted throughout 2024 confirmed that Masset’s drinking water remains safe and within all regulatory limits. The village performs three types of monitoring, including testing of raw water from the wells, treated water from the plant and water in the distribution system.
Each month, bacteriological samples were collected from four locations in the community. All tests for E. coli and other bacterial contaminants were negative, confirming that the water was safe to drink.
Turbidity, which measures water clarity, remained well below the maximum allowable level throughout the year. The village also conducted total organic carbon, hardness and trihalomethane (THM) testing to monitor chemical levels in the water. Following recommendations from Northern Health, the village expanded testing to include haloacetic acids (HAAs), a category of disinfection by-products that can form in treated water.
Chlorine residuals, which help maintain disinfection throughout the distribution system, were kept between 0.60 and 0.70 parts per million. This ensured that levels remained above the minimum requirement of 0.20 parts per million at all times.
Although most metal tests were completed as planned, one round of testing was delayed, preventing a full year-end analysis of manganese levels. The village intends to implement enhanced quality control measures in 2025 to address this issue.
With most water plant upgrades now complete, the Village of Masset is shifting its focus to further improvements in the distribution system. One of the key priorities for 2025 is the replacement of aging water mains in several areas. This work will be completed ahead of planned road repaving projects to minimize future disruptions.
Adjustments to the SCADA system will also continue in 2025, with final programming refinements aimed at improving the efficiency of remote monitoring and system management.
In addition to infrastructure upgrades, the village is working with Old Massett Village Council to improve water distribution and metering in the Blue Jacket subdivision.
Public works staff training remains a key focus. With two new operators joining the team, the village plans to expand education programs to ensure a highly trained workforce capable of managing the water plant and distribution system for years to come.
As part of its long-term planning efforts, Masset has already mapped its water and sewer systems into a cloud-based GIS platform, allowing for better tracking of assets and future infrastructure needs.
Despite ongoing challenges related to aging infrastructure, the village has made significant progress in modernizing its water system.
“The Village of Masset remains committed to providing safe, high-quality drinking water,” the report states. “While significant upgrades have been completed, we will continue to invest in our water infrastructure to ensure long-term sustainability.”
The full 2024 Water Quality Report is available upon request at the Village of Masset office.