There has been an increasing number of issues getting in the way of milfoil control operations on Okanagan Valley lakes. This is related to foreshore development in areas traditionally used to launch the program’s machines and used as weed transfer sites.
To address these concerns the Okanagan Basin Water Board will be sending a letter to local governments explaining the situation with an offer to meet and discuss further.
• OBWB applies for funds to study water needs of fish: The OBWB gave staff approval to pursue a large provincial grant proposal to study water needs of fish.
The grant would help fund studies to calculate the amount of water fish need in streams to carry out their life cycles. The studies would be conducted in preparation for the province updating its water licencing protocol.
• Okanagan Nation Alliance presents Syilx water strategy update: The water board heard a presentation from the Okanagan Nation Alliance’s Tessa and Carrie Terbasket who provided an update on the Syilx water strategy and delivered a copy of the Syilx Nation Declaration on Water.
The strategy is intended to help address water issues and describe how to properly protect and manage water use and allocation in a respectful and holistic way. It’s expected the strategy will be completed and released within the year. For more information, visit: www.syilx.org/operations/natural-resourcesland-use/water/.
For more, visit www.OkWaterWise.ca.
