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Stock photo of Vernon Creek (Image Credit: Okanagan Basin Water Board)
Beaver Lake and Vernon Creek Watershed Improvements

Lake Country taking action to support water management, flows at area watershed

Apr 22, 2026 | 4:21 PM

The District of Lake Country is taking action to enhance its water storage and flow management in the Beaver Lake Chain and Vernon Creek watershed.

The municipality has secured provincial funds to do this work, which will first involve conducting feasibility studies and environmental assessments, before starting preliminary design work for ways to improve flows and management, such as by creating a partial bypass for Beaver Lake around Duck Lake to increase storage.

Lake Country stated these actions would aim to improve the resilience of the water supply while maintaining environmental flows in Middle Vernon Creek.

“This is an important step toward putting real solutions in place” Kiel Wilkie, Capital Projects Manager, stated.

“By improving how water is stored and managed, we can better support agriculture while protecting flows in Middle Vernon Creek, especially during dry years.”

The municipality added the Beaver Lake and Vernon Creek watershed plays a key role in the local agricultural sector, and also supports a unique wild-stock kokanee population, but adds it does face challenges related to reduced water availability, climate variability, and recurring droughts.

“Protecting both our water supply and the health of our natural ecosystems is a priority for our community,” Mayor Blair Ireland said.

“This funding allows us to take important steps toward long-term, sustainable solutions that support agriculture, protect aquatic ecosystems, and strengthen water security in Lake Country.”

The province is supporting this work through its Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program.

“As the risk of drought becomes more common, it’s critical for farmers to have reliable access to water so they can irrigate their fields, protect their crops during dry periods, and grow the food British Columbians depend on,” Harwinder Sandhu, parliamentary secretary for agriculture and MLA for Vernon-Lumby, said.

“We introduced this important program to strengthen water infrastructure in agricultural communities throughout the province, and this project will improve water security and support the local food supply in the District of Lake Country and beyond.”

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