Kelowna, B.C. – The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) has approved $300,000 in funding to 18 projects to help conserve and improve the quality of water in the valley. Directors approved the Water Conservation and Quality Improvement (WCQI) grants at their last board meeting, April 3. Recipients were notified last week. In all, there were 23 applications with a total ask of $435,180.
A wide variety of projects were funded this year, from public outreach for water quality protection, to water conserving irrigation improvements in public parks.
“This program has such value,” said OBWB Chair Tracy Gray, noting that the grants are made available to local governments, but also to schools, stewardship groups and others, encouraging broader engagement on valley-wide water issues. “Solutions are not always government driven. This is a tremendous way to engage others, recognizing that we’re all part of ‘One valley. One water.’”
Another benefit has been the ability for grant recipients to leverage OBWB funding to bring in additional funds for Okanagan water projects, Gray added. Up until the current funding cycle, this has amounted to more than $27.2 million invested in our valley.