Local communities are being asked if they will fund a Shuswap watershed strategy.
The Regional District of North Okanagan will ask all jurisdictions within the Shuswap River drainage if they are willing to join the Salmon Arm-based Shuswap Watershed Council.
“It’s fair to send it to the municipalities,” said Mike Macnabb, BX-Silver Star director.
“We owe it to our neighbours to the north (Columbia-Shuswap Regional District) to send it out for input. We would then have something clear and definitive.”
The Shuswap Watershed Council wants RDNO to participate in a five-year program starting Jan. 1, 2016 for water monitoring and recreational safety education. Participation would cost up to $25,000 annually.
CSRD would pick up 70 per cent of the council’s budget, while 20 per cent would come from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
“The CSRD and TNRD are involved and the watershed is important to all of us,” said Rick Fairbairn, RDNO chairperson, adding that one-third of the watershed is in the RDNO boundary.
Fairbairn suggests the Shuswap Watershed Council could evolve into something similar to the Okanagan Basin Water Board, which focuses on a variety of water issues.
“OBWB has been successful because of the co-operation of three regional districts. Water is important.”
However, sending the funding request out to local jurisdictions came from Lumby, Spallumcheen and Enderby directors.
“Lumby is already spending a lot of money on its liquid waste management plan and doing work on our creeks,” said director Kevin Acton.
While he supported seeking input from the municipalities, rural Enderby director Herman Halvorson isn’t sure RDNO should join the watershed council because the district already has programs in place.
“We’re always going to take care of the watershed. We’re not being negligent,” said Halvorson.
According to the watershed council, much of the pollution comes from phosphorus in the water, originating largely from agricultural, including in the RDNO.
