Okanagan lake (Vernon Matters photo)

By Pete McIntyre

Water protection

Water board awards $350,000 in grants, many focused on drought prevention in Okanagan

Apr 25, 2024 | 1:00 PM

Projects that have a focus on preventing drought or water shortages have been given priority in this year’s grants from the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

The grants are available to local governments and First Nations, irrigation districts and non-profit organizations. The board received 23 applications worth a combined amount of $631,725.

“It was very competitive this year with a lot of high-scoring proposals,” Carolina Restrepo-Tamayo, OBWB’s Office and Grants Manager, said.

About 90 per cent of the applications were related to this year’s drought theme.

“That says to us that local government, non-profits and others, see the need to be proactive in addressing this issue,” Restrepo-Tamayo added.

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Ten of the 14 projects provided funding were related to drought. The full list is below.

(Image credit: OBWB)

In the North Okanagan, the Township of Spallumcheen will receive $30,000 for “source water quality sampling in Deep Creek,” while the Regional District of North Okanagan was approved for $29,833 for a fire and drought weather monitoring station in the Duteau Creek watershed.

RDNO staff say the automated weather station “contains standard weather station requirements but is specifically geared towards early wildfire weather detection,” noting the systems were being installed in multiple other areas of the Okanagan.

The Black Mountain Irrigation District in Kelowna received $30,000 for its “Ideal Lake Reservoir Release Project,” an initiative to install remote control hardware and allow the utility to improve efficiency and respond to real-time streamflow conditions. The end result would be to release water from Ideal Lake as needed to address drought and environmental flow needs, including the needs of fish.

Another proposal funded, in part, for its potential to be a model for similar projects in the valley was the City of West Kelowna’s “Okanagan Watershed Recovery for Drought Resilience” proposal, which was granted $30,000.

The city said extended drought in the Okanagan has resulted in a decline in water availability in local reservoirs, exacerbated by reduced watershed resilience due to logging and wildfires. The proposal includes a review of upland water storage options. The OBWB says the project would enhance water quality and hydrology in the area, and has the potential to reverse damage from logging, wildfires, and motorized recreation.

The District of Lake Country got a $30,000 grant for its water management plan for the Beaver Lake chain and Vernon Creek.

For more on the funded projects, visit the OBWB website.