Residents

On average, Okanagan residents use 675 litres of water per person, per day – year round, on their residential properties.

This is more than twice the Canadian average (329 litres), and much higher than that of other countries.

Yet, the Okanagan has the lowest per person water availability in Canada.

Most of this water is used for outdoor landscaping during the summer months.

As many water suppliers and municipal governments increase water rates to upgrade water infrastructure, reducing outdoor water consumption is the best way for residents to support the sustainability of valley water supplies.

“The Okanagan is a very dry place. We have less fresh water available per person in the Okanagan BasinLand area from which water drains towards a common pointThe Okanagan watershedLand area from which water drains towards a common point, or basinLand area from which water drains towards a common point, is a narrow strip that spans from Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada to the US border and includes five main lakes – Okanagan, Kalamalka-Wood, Skaha, Vaseux and Osoyoos – and surrounding mountains. The Okanagan BasinLand area from which water drains towards a common point includes all the land that feeds water to our big lakes, and is almost 200 km in length and 8,000 km2 in area. Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton and Osoyoos all lie within the Okanagan BasinLand area from which water drains towards a common point. than anywhere else in Canada. And yet, the average Okanagan resident uses more than two times as much water as the average Canadian.” – Anna Warwick Sears, OBWBOkanagan Basin Water Board Executive Director

Related Links:

• Okanagan WaterWise
• Find out how you can Go Blue at home