COQUITLAM, B.C., June 2, 2026 – Coquitlam residents can skip the bottled water and filters and enjoy safe, high-quality drinking water straight from the tap.
Coquitlam’s diligent water-quality monitoring and maintenance program continues to deliver clean drinking water that exceeds provincial and federal health and safety standards. In addition and reflecting Coquitlam’s commitment to excellence in water and wastewater services, the City received the 2026 BC Water & Waste Association Outstanding Contribution Award in recognition of our strong support for staff leadership, participation and professional development.
Coquitlam’s 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report is available at coquitlam.ca/water.
Regular Maintenance Protects Water Quality
Year-round maintenance and testing helps ensure Coquitlam’s water quality continues to meet the standards of the Provincial Drinking Water Protection Regulation and Health Canada’s Guidelines for Drinking Water Quality, under the British Columbia Drinking Water Protection Act. Ongoing maintenance and inspection activities include:
- Collecting and analyzing water samples throughout the year (2,125 water samples were collected, tested and analyzed in 2025);
- Flushing one-third of the City’s water mains each year on a rotating basis, covering more than 74 kilometres of water mains in 2025 (14%);
- Continuing a tri-annual reservoir cleaning program, including cleaning the Conifer Reservoir in 2025;
- Monitoring of sections with reduced water flow and flushing to improve circulation; and
- Upgrading infrastructure to connect dead-end mains and improve system circulation, reducing residential chlorine levels.
Learn More about Coquitlam’s Water System
The water flowing out of taps in Coquitlam primarily comes from Coquitlam and Seymour lakes and is treated by Metro Vancouver to make it safe for drinking.
Seymour Lake’s water is filtered then disinfected using ultraviolet (UV) light, while Coquitlam Lake’s water is treated by ozone and UV light. For both sites, Metro Vancouver also uses chlorine as a secondary disinfectant and adjusts pH levels to make the water more alkaline and less acidic in order to reduce pipe corrosion.
For a close-up look to see how safe, clean and reliable drinking water gets from the watershed to homes in our community check out, From Reservoir to Tap, our interactive guided story that takes the viewer step-by-step from the watersheds to the reservoirs and treatment centres, onto the regional water system and into our 520 kilometres of water mains and 250 kilometres of water service connections. Viewers can see photos of all the infrastructure as well as view GIS maps of the City’s water mains, hydrants, pump stations and reservoirs directly to their own neighbourhood and street.
Learn more about our Water System at coquitlam.ca/water.
Media contact:
Jonathan Helmus
Director Utilities
epw@coquitlam.ca
604-927-3500
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.