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Welcome to the Okanagan Basin Water Board
Clean water is the most precious natural asset in the Okanagan essential to the beauty of our landscapes, our healthy economy and the well-being of our citizens. The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) was instituted in 1970 through a collaboration of the three Okanagan regional districts to provide leadership on water issues that span the entire valley recognizing the need to work together to protect our common resources.
For many years, the OBWB directed its efforts toward the most urgent recommendations of the 1974 Okanagan Basin Study reducing phosphorus and nitrogen inputs to the main valley lakes and controlling the invasive aquatic plant, Eurasian watermilfoil. In 2006, in response to rising public interest in water sustainability and with the support of the regional districts, the OBWB put into action a water management initiative to promote coordinated water management throughout the basin.
Click here to contact the Okanagan Basin Water Board
Free webinar June 19: Dont Move a Mussel Keep Okanagan waters zebra mussel-free
Learn more about invasive mussels, the impact an invasion would have on the Okanagan and how you can help prevent the spread. Join us for an online seminar on Wed., June 19 from 10 am noon PDT. This FREE webinar is for boaters and outdoor water enthusiasts, tourism operators, realtors, elected officials and community leaders of the Okanagan. All are welcome.
Zebra and quagga mussels are spreading quickly in Canada and the U.S. and are now as far west as Lake Mead, Nevada and the Red River just south of Manitoba. The Okanagan is ideal habitat for these tiny, rapidly-breeding mussels that damage boats and docks, clog water intakes and more. An Okanagan invasion would have devastating economic and environmental impacts. In response, the B.C. Government recently brought in fines for moving the mussels, which are sometimes invisible to the naked eye.
Learn more at: www.dontmoveamussel.ca
Webinar presenters:
- Anna Warwick Sears, Executive Director - Okanagan Basin Water Board
- Heather Larratt, R.P. Bio - Larratt Aquatic Consulting
- Jodi Romyn, Senior Manager - Invasive Species Council of B.C.
- Lisa Scott, Coordinator - Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society
Space is limited. Please register at: http://dontmoveamusselokanaganwebinar.eventbrite.ca/
Complete instructions on how to join will be included on your free e-ticket.
Computer requirements:
- a browser
- a copy of Flash Player 10.3 or higher
- an internet connection
- you may also need to download the latest Adobe Connect Add-in
If you have not attended an Adobe Connect meeting before, the following links may be useful to you:
- Test Your Connection (runs a test to check if you have all the requirements):
- Quick Overview of Adobe Connect
Special thanks to The POLIS Project on Ecological Governance - Water Sustainability Project for their assistance.
Grant funds flow to projects to conserve or improve Okanagan water
The Okanagan Basin Water Board has approved $300,000 in funding from its Water Conservation and Quality Improvement (WCQI) Grant Program to 19 projects in the valley.
We had amazing applications from schools, non-profit groups, and local governments proposing a variety of innovative projects aimed at saving water and improving its quality across the valley, noted James Littley, Office and Projects Manager. Applications were reviewed and ranked on a number of criteria, including basin-wide benefit, focus on action, collaboration, innovation and promotion of best practices.
Since the program began awarding funds in 2006, some $2.4 million has been provided to 159 projects throughout the Okanagan.
Find the news release and a full list of grant recipients here.
The OBWB is proud to release its new Topsoil Bylaws Toolkit!
The Topsoil Bylaws Toolkit is a companion to the OBWB's Groundwater Bylaws Toolkit and a supplement to the Green Bylaws Toolkit (www.greenbylaws.ca).
This new Toolkit was developed to give local governments practical tools that support smart topsoil policies.
For more information and to download the Toolkit, click here.
For the news release, click here.