Okanagan Water Board announces $350K for local drought-focused projects

Fourteen water protection projects will receive a share of $350,000 in funding through the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s (OBWB) annual grant program.

Under the Water Conservation and Quality Improvement Grant Program, local governments, First Nations, irrigation districts and non-profit organizations can apply for funding for a project that meets a theme chosen by the OBWB.

With drought at the top of mind of residents across the province, this year’s theme was “drought resilience,” which is meant to encourage projects aimed at prevention, management and/or mitigation of drought or water shortages in the basin, says a news release.

The OBWB says they received 23 applications with a combined funding request of $631, 725.

“It was very competitive this year with a lot of high-scoring proposals,” says Carolina Restrepo-Tamayo, OBWB’s Office and Grants Manager.

“That says to us that local government, non-profits and others, see the need to be proactive in addressing this issue.”

The news release says 10 of the 14 funded projects are directly related to drought.

With the grant funding from the OBWB and more support from other organizations and funding streams, the 14 projects have combined budgets of over $2.1 million toward water improvements across the Okanagan.

The Black Mountain Irrigation District was a successful recipient for its “Ideal Lake Reservoir Release Project.”

This project aims to install remote control hardware and allow the utility to improve efficiency and respond to real-time streamflow conditions, releasing water from Ideal Lake as needed to address drought and environmental flow needs, including the needs of fish.

Another successful recipient was the City of West Kelowna’s “Okanagan Watershed Recovery for Drought Resilience” proposal.

According to the release, the city noted that extended drought in the Okanagan has resulted in a decline in water availability in local reservoirs, exacerbated by reduced watershed resilience due to logging and wildfires.

“The OBWB sees the project as enhancing water quality and hydrology in the area which can benefit local communities. It also has the potential to reverse damage from logging, wildfires, and motorized recreation,” the news release says.

Below is a picture of all the projects that received funding.