Coquitlam provides safe and high quality drinking water to our residents and businesses. Your water comes from the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam mountain reservoirs and is transported to your tap through a system of pipes, pump stations and water tanks. These mountain reservoirs are in protected watersheds where no recreational or industrial activities are permitted.
Enjoy this guided story that shows the journey water takes, and all the steps and people involved to deliver safe and reliable water to our residents and businesses.
Have you ever visited the natural source of your drinking water? Every summer, Metro Vancouver offers free guided public tours to the Coquitlam Watershed. This tour showcase everything from drinking water infrastructure to giant old-growth Western Red Cedar and Douglas-fir. Catch a glimpse of the past as you visit the 1913 water intake tower. Enjoy panoramic views of the watershed, Coquitlam Island and Coquitlam Lake.
For more information, please go to Metro Vancouver’s Watershed Tours.
Providing clean drinking water is of paramount importance for the health of our residents. Your drinking water is treated in accordance with the federal Drinking Water Protection Act and the Provincial Drinking Water Protection Regulation. The City also follows Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.
To ensure your water is of the highest possible quality, over 2,400 water quality samples are taken and analyzed annually. Each year a water quality report is published detailing sampling locations, frequency of testing, and results. Please follow this link to the most current Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (PDF).
In order to maintain your water quality once it reaches your home you should make a habit of doing the following:
Looking for a drinking water fountain nearest you? Created by Metro Vancouver, the Tap Map shows the locations of all the public drinking fountains in Coquitlam as well as in other municipalities within the region. The Tap Map is also available on an iPhone app. To view the Tap Map, please visit Metro Vancouver’s Tap Map page.
Please refer to our Water Distribution Bylaw for billing structure and current rates.
Information on Coquitlam water rates can be found in the Utility Tax page.
Coquitlam requires any water used in a commercial or industrial applications to be metered and charged on a volumetric basis.
City personnel go out every 3 months to read the meters, which are then reviewed by staff to look for anomalies and possible leaks. If staff notice jump in your average daily consumption you may receive a note on your bill stating “check for possible leak”. If you receive this note, or notice that your average consumption (Consumption/Days) is larger than normal, please perform the following checks on your premise:
If you do not find a leak after conducting the above investigation, but still believe you may have a leak, please contact the Engineering and Public Works’ customer service to receive further instruction or assistance in determining whether or not you have a leak. Although City staff may be able to determine if you have a leak, finding the location can be difficult and it is not a service that the City provides.
View Coquitlam’s Water Meter Specifications (PDF).