The South East Kelowna Irrigation District is an improvement district incorporated under letters patent by order in council of the British Columbia legislature November 2, 1920. SEKID is one of five major public water utilities serving the City of Kelowna. The district has a rich and varied history with roots pre-dating the Kettle Valley Railway at the turn of the last century.

The book entitled Paying for Rain written by Tom Carter and Jay Ruzesky chronicles the development of SEKID from its inception to the 1990’s. It is invaluable to understanding the evolution of the district and the essence of many of the challenges we continue to face today. Copies of this book are available at the district office for a price of ten dollars or on loan from the Kelowna library.

The primary legislation governing improvement districts is Part 17 of the Local Government Act. This statute governs the way improvement districts are administered, it defines powers and operations and prescribes procedures for taxation and borrowing.

SEKID is governed by a five member elected Board of Trustees. Trustees are elected for a three year term and the terms are staggered so that each year either two or one board member’s term expires. Elections are held in the spring and all landowners are notified of both the Annual General Meeting and election dates by mail in our spring newsletter.

Other legislation of importance to improvement districts includes the Water Sustainability Act and the Drinking Water Protection Act. The Drinking Water Protection Regulation provides the regulations governing SEKID’s responsibilities for ensuring the safety of the public water supply and introduces laws specifically intended to protect source drinking water quality.

Additional information about the district is available under the News & Reports section of this website. There you can view our news archive, newsletters and reports on different aspects of district operations.

If you are not sure who supplies your water click here and enter your house address.