Annual campaign underway to promote water conservation, FireSmarting in gardening

The annual Make Water Work campaign is underway in the Okanagan.

Spearheaded by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) and FireSmart B.C., the program encourages people to choose drought tolerant plants, water wisely, and plant strategically when tending their gardens. The OBWB has put together a list of around 100 plants that are drought resistant, require little water, and are native to the Okanagan.

The campaign also encourages people take steps to protect their properties from wildfires by following FireSmart activities such as clearing flammable debris from properties, cleaning out gutters, and trim, trees, shrubs and grass.

The launch of the campaign came following a report that the Okanagan’s snowpack was 31 per cent of normal on May 1, and later found to be 16 per cent of normal on May 15, posing a risk of another drought summer.