Water is a precious thing. Williams Lake is blessed with an abundant source of fresh, clean water that’s relatively easy to extract and distribute. Unfortunately, like any good thing, our water supply is not infinite. During the past two years, the City of Williams Lake has worked hard to determine just how much water there is, and how to best manage it to ensure adequate supplies for future generations.
In last year’s Water Conservation Plan, the City of Williams Lake committed itself to following a three-step program for water conservation.
Water-centric planning in the South Okanagan can facilitate a plan of action for the entire Okanagan. This was the message conveyed by Kim Stephens, Program Coordinator for the Water Sustainability Action Plan for British Columbia, when he was invited to make a presentation to the recently formed Okanagan Water Stewardship Council.
The Capital Regional District (CRD), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the Peninsula Agricultural Commission, initiated the “Agricultural Water Use and Conservation Study” to gather, analyze, and present data on farm water use and conservation practices across the CRD. The resulting information will be used to set water rates for the agricultural sector, and to help the CRD develop water conservation program.
The Black Mountain Irrigation District (BMID) provides domestic water to 20,000 people and irrigation water to 4,100 acres of agriculture on the east benchlands of Kelowna. BMID draws from Mission Creek, which is the most significant creek feeding Okanagan Lake.
Sensitive Habitat Inventory and Mapping (SHIM) is a standard for fish and aquatic habitat mapping in urban and rural watersheds in British Columbia. SHIM attempts to ensure the collection and mapping of reliable, high quality, current, and spatially accurate information about local freshwater habitats, watercourses, and associated riparian communities.
Initiated in 1997 by two B.C. residents, Clive Callaway and Sarah Kipp, The Living by Water Project promotes healthier human and wildlife habitat along freshwater and marine shorelines throughout Canada.
The Town of Oliver's journey along the soft path to water sustainability provides an on-the-ground case study for implementation of a water-centric approach to land use and water planning.
The River Forecast Centre (RFC) collects and interprets snow, meteorological and streamflow data to provide warnings and forecasts of stream and lake runoff conditions around the province.
The June 15th snow survey is now complete. Data from 5 snow courses and 57 snow pillows around the province have been used to form the basis for the following reports. This is final Snow Survey Bulletin for the 2005/06 snow season.
