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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
Climate Adaptation Workshops
The OBWB has rescheduled our climate adaptation workshops to complement the upcoming Building Sustainable Communities conference in Kelowna:
February 27 – Writing Green Bylaws for your Community.
March 1 - a.m. Is your community water balanced?
p.m. Is your infrastructure ready for climate change?
p.m. What’s happening on your foreshore?
Please visit www.obwb.ca/toolsworkshop for full details.
New OBWB Board of Directors announced
Following on last November’s local government elections, the Okanagan Basin Water Board is pleased to announce our new Board of Directors.
OBWB Directors appointed from Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen are:
· Osoyoos Mayor Stu Wells
· Rural Area Director Tom Siddon
· Rural Area Director Michael Brydon
Appointed from Regional District of Central Okanagan are:
· West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater
· Peachland Mayor Keith Fielding
· Kelowna Coun. Gerry Zimmermann
Appointed from Regional District of North Okanagan are:
· Rural Area Dir. Rick Fairbairn
· Coldstream Coun. Doug Dirk
· Vernon Coun. Juliette Cunningham
Directors Toby Pike (Water Supply Association of B.C.), Bernie Bauer (Okanagan Water Stewardship Council – technical advisory body to the OBWB Board of Directors), and James Pepper (Okanagan Nation Alliance) will also continue to serve on the board.
The Water Board acknowledges those board members not returning and thanks them for their commitment to Okanagan water issues while serving as directors. This includes Lake Country Mayor James Baker, and former councillors Buffy Baumbrough (Vernon), Gordon Clark (Summerland), and Graeme James (Kelowna). We look forward to continuing to work with you as stewards of our shared Okanagan water.
Water Board grants available for projects that conserve or improve water
The Okanagan Basin Water Board is pleased to announce that its 2012 Water Conservation and Quality improvement (WCQI) Grant Program is now accepting applications.
Since 2006, when the OBWB started awarding the grants, more than $2 million has been provided to Okanagan communities to assist with projects that conserve water or improve quality.
Residents of the Okanagan are part of one valley, and one water. As such, ensuring benefit to an individual community but also valley-wide benefit is a key component of the program.
Eligible applicants include non-profit community groups, local governments (regional districts or municipalities), and irrigation or improvement districts. Successful applicants can receive $30,000 for their project.
To view the news release, click here. The application can be found here.
Slow it. Spread it. Sink it!
The Slow it. Spread it. Sink it! An Okanagan Homeowner’s Guide to Using Rain as a Resource is an easy-to-use guidebook, showing local residents how they can easily capture and re-use the water that falls on their property.
The guide is one of the outcomes of the OBWB’s successful Fall 2010 Rain to Resource workshop.
You can find the Slow it. Spread it. Sink it! (7MB PDF) here.