New plan to help guide water advocacy for next five years

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These focuses also came with a number of priority projects ranging from getting the E-DNA invasive mussel detection system operational to combating algae blooms in the waterways, and from supporting community projects with grants to maintaining its existing programs such as the Don’t Move a Mussel and Make Water Work campaigns.

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New plan to help guide water advocacy for next five years

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The new strategic plan was being presented to area municipalities, including Vernon City Council who received it for information at the meeting Monday, May 25.

Following the meeting, Mayor Victor Cumming said the agency was doing a lot of good work.

“[The OBWB] helps with doing key research and key recommendations and key policy suggestions for improving water management in the Okanagan,” Cumming said, noting the work on the science side was especially important.

“One [project highlighted] was on how septic tanks get approved and how, maybe, they will get monitored. Because, what happens right now is we have a history of some septic tanks going in, (we don’t have many in the City of Vernon), but there are lots in the area outside of here, that historically may not have been put in according to something that would be acceptable today, and there isn’t a provision for monitoring. So there are situations where those systems are failing, and they’re adding nutrients and other things to our creeks and our lakes, and we’re trying to get a handle on that.

“They’ve got the science, they’re going to have a really good look at it, and they’re going to come back with some solid recommendations and will try to get those regulations changed for the whole province, but definitely for us here in the Okanagan.”

The Mayor also touted the group’s work on invasive mussel prevention, noting it is working with partners in Alberta on projects to keep the species from crossing the borders and contaminating waterways.