Water Stewardship Council

One of the OBWB’s goals is to find collaborative solutions to water resource concerns, and bridge the interests of all Okanagan and senior government, water stakeholders, and citizens. In the spring of 2006, the three regional districts in the Okanagan valley took a major step toward this goal by empowering the Okanagan Basin Water Board to form the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council. The Council acts in an advisory role to the Board and the Council Chair is a voting member on the Board. The goal of forming this Council is to capitalize on local water management expertise to improve long term decision making – in light of current trends toward rapid growth, climate change and the uncertain water supplies.

The Council is composed of more than two dozen volunteer technical experts and water stakeholders that meet monthly.

The Vision of the Okanagan Water Stewardship Council is that the Basin will have clean and healthy water in sufficient abundance to support the Okanagan’s natural ecosystems, agricultural lands and high quality of life for perpetuity. Accurate, up-to-date water information and scientific knowledge will support community and regional planning. Water will be managed in a spirit of cooperation, and a valley-wide ethic of conservation will create a lasting legacy of sustainable water resources for future generations.

In October 2008, the Council released the Okanagan Sustainable Water Strategy, a comprehensive guide to water management practices that will help us adapt to changing climate and rising water demand and work toward water sustainability in the Okanagan. The Strategy was developed at the request of the OBWB Directors, who asked for a document that would bring together information about Okanagan water issues and make recommendations about how these issues should be addressed.