”Here in the Okanagan we are facing our own water issues as a result of unsustainable forms of development that are now leading to unprecedented levels of habitat and species extinction. Equity of access to water is also an issue that is becoming more problematic as water becomes an increasingly scarce resource,” stated John Wagner.
“Land use planning cannot be disconnected from water use planning. People’s transformation of the landscape has impacts on the natural water balance. We must move towards ‘water-centric’ planning, where water is a key consideration, whether planning for a site or for the entire province. In 2003, droughts, forest fires and floods created a teachable moment,” stated Kim Stephens.
Dr. Jeff Curtis posed this question to the audience to provide context for the panel discussion: “How long until we run out of water in the Okanagan during a drought year?” He then proceeded to illustrate the inevitability of a collision course. His key message was that the time horizon is relatively short.
“The number one concern of local South Okanagan residents is the availability and quality of its water. Water was the main issue identified through public consultation by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen,” reported David Arsenault.
“UBC-Okanagan provided the venue for this application of sustainability-on-the-ground. This was an outcome of a meeting with the Inter-Governmental Partnership, at which time we realized that UBC-Okanagan and the IGP shared a common objective in advancing the state-of-the-art for water management in the Okanagan,” stated Bernard Bauer
“It is a way of having some fun at the start of the workshop. It loosens the group up. It gets them thinking about real things, on the ground, so that they can begin to see how use of the Water Balance Model will help them in their day jobs. We have them work in teams,” explained Richard Boase.
“The Water Sustainability Committee of the BC Water & Waste Association is partnering with the Real Estate Foundation of British Columbia, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Land, and the Ministry of Community Services to advance the water balance way-of-thinking in the South Okanagan,” stated Kim Stephens.
“Stormwater management is a priority for the Ministry in the Okanagan because of the water quality and fisheries consequences for Okanagan Lake and tributaries when land is developed for urban purposes. Local governments now have direction so that land-use planning will be integrated with rainwater management strategies,” stated Conrad Pryce.
“The 2005 Penticton Workshop was the first regional event organized under the Convening for Action umbrella. The workshop was organized in two parts and the presentations were cascading in order to elaborate on the OUT = IN theme,” reported Kim Stephens.
“The water resources of the Okanagan Basin are a limited resource that is already heavily allocated to present uses. To move toward sustainable water management in the Okanagan Basin requires difficult decisions now that will include reducing demand to new governance models that consider the basin as a whole, and to more pro-active management,” stated Brian Guy.
