PROVINCE SUPPORTS $550,000 OKANAGAN WATER STUDY
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KELOWNA – The Province and the Okanagan Basin Water Board are joining in a $550,000 partnership to complete the second phase of a water supply and demand study for the Okanagan Basin, Environment Minister Barry Penner announced today.
“The B.C. government is pleased to provide funding and staff resources to support this critical project in the Okanagan Basin,” said Penner, who presented a cheque for $350,000 while attending a meeting of the Water Stewardship Council of the Okanagan Basin Water Board on Thursday in Kelowna. “In areas like the Okanagan, where water availability is a concern, it is essential to work together to manage our water wisely and conserve the resource for a sustainable future.”
The Okanagan Basin is a vital and rapidly growing region in British Columbia. This growth leads to increasing demand for water, resulting in an immediate need to assess current and future water availability, as well as demand.
“We’re seeing incredible expansion and growth in the Okanagan, and with that growth comes increasing pressure on our water system,” said Okanagan-Westside MLA Rick Thorpe. “We need to work now towards meeting that demand.”
The study will provide the science and the information necessary for the Okanagan Basin Water Board and its new Water Stewardship Council, as well as local planners, water managers, industries that are dependent on water and the public to understand the available water supply and demand throughout the basin. The B.C. government is investing $350,000 and the water board is contributing $200,000 to the project.
“This study will help us better understand our water supply needs here in the Okanagan and determine what we need to do to ensure we have a reliable supply of water for years to come,” said Penticton-Okanagan Valley MLA Bill Barisoff.
The second phase of the study will require two years to complete and will be conducted in collaboration with key stakeholders throughout the basin. Outcomes of the study will include information about:
- Status of existing water supplies in the Okanagan Basin.
- Current demand on available water supplies.
- Anticipated demands, taking into consideration factors such as regional growth, economic development and climate change.
- An estimate of water available for future allocation.
- A model that can be used to estimate available water supply and demand, both now and for the future.
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contact: |
Communications Director 250 387-9973 |
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