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CITY OF KELOWNA LOOKS THROUGH A ONE WATER LENS: “I believe we are on to something with Kelowna’s Water Security Plan. Within it is a template for other communities in the BC Interior to consider,” stated Rod MacLean, Utilities Planning Manager, with obvious pride in their accomplishment

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. Stories are structured in three parts: One-Minute Takeaway, Editor’s Perspective, and the Story Behind the Story.

The edition published on October 14, 2025 featured Rod MacLean, utilities planning manager with the City Kelowna. After eight years of effort, he helped guide the City’s Water Security Pan over the finish line. It was approved by Council in April 2025. It is a landmark accomplishment because it establishes a One Water precedent in British Columbia. The Kelowna plan is distinguished by the fact that it also acknowledges the syilx Water Declaration.

 

ONE MINUTE TAKEAWAY for the extremely busy reader

“It took us eight years to get Kelowna’s first Water Security Plan across the finish line. We define our community’s responsibilities within this plan,” states Rod MacLean with a wry smile and obvious pride in their accomplishment.

 

Images are mostly from the Partnership’s library. Some are from the public domain and Creative Commons.

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

“My history of collaboration with the City of Kelowna dates goes back to the early 1990s. This gives me perspective and context for commenting on what Rod MacLean and his colleagues have accomplished. They merit kudos for a job well done in getting Kelowna’s Water Security Plan across the finish line,” stated Kim Stephens, Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

 

AHA MOMENT ONE: Kelowna’s Water Security Plan acknowledges that “water is a being with a spirit who provides life for all living things”

“The City of Kelowna commitment to incorporate syilx knowledge into water decision processes is one of three foundational elements for water security. That principle aligns with Blue Ecology which is the compass for an attitude change that points the way to Water Reconciliation. The essential tenet of Blue Ecology is that water has a spirit.”

 

Story behind the story of how the Western world chose to define water in the 1700s

“The Kelowna plan acknowledges the Indigenous definition of water. Wow! This is huge in light of a little-known bit of history concerning the modern definition of water. In the 1700s, there were two competing schools of thought. Long story short, Carl Linnaeus prevailed over George-Louis Leclerc.”

 

AHA MOMENT TWO: Embed a culture, sustained by a shared commitment to long-term outcomes

“Many plans and reports are produced. Some of them are even award winning. Some are in response to regulatory requirements. Others result from the Flavour of the Month Syndrome because somebody got excited about something that sounded good on paper. But how many plans have sticking power? As I listened to Rod MacLean, he said something that got my attention,” continued Kim Stephens.

 

 

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Kelowna’s Water Security Plan, template for One Water – a conversation with Rod MacLean 

“We looked for a different approach in the City of Kelowna. It is out of need,” was the first thing Rod MacLean said when we had a conversation about Kelowna’s first Water Security Plan. He  provided this perspective as context for his story.

 

“My role as utilities planning manager has provided me the great opportunity to lead a team that produces projects and outcomes that are innovative, achievable and improve things little by little.”

“We achieve this by listening to people, working with their ideas, needs and concerns. Then we develop achievable work plans and opportunities with the help of Council, partners, government regulators and First Nations.”

 

The story behind the story has three parts

The story behind the story is structured as three topics. Topic One describes what brought Rod MacLean to British Columbia and inspired his vision for scoping out possibilities and presenting solutions. In Topic Two he reveals the catalyst for City of Kelowna  action in creating the Water Security Plan. Topic Three is philosophical in nature. Rod MacLean reflects on the legacy for those who got the Water Security Plan across the finish line.

TOPIC ONE: Rod MacLean reflects on how his career experience informed Kelowna’s plan

“I have about two years left on a 10 year promise to myself to work in municipal public service, and am now in a job I truly enjoy. I hope to continue doing this work beyond this time limit in some capacity.”

 

 

“It did not take long to recognize familiar patterns to other areas of Canada I have lived in: reliance on water licenses, protective water policies, droughts, fires, legal challenges, and poor fish passage.”

“Irrigation or improvement districts here faced extinction, with little support from the Province or Federal government.”

“Drinking water quality varies in many urban and rural areas.”

“The Province’s approach to First Nations rights appears positive, and declarations around water are intriguing.”

 

“Surrounding communities are filtering their water out of necessity, but many still use surface or groundwater sources and bypass treatment elements.”

“We are seeing climate shifts that are impacting the quality of these sources. There are those in our community that do not always agree with this logic. These are the challenges we face.”

Scope out possibilities and present solutions

“In the BC Interior and the Okanagan, most are passionate about water, its science, limitations, and challenges. I respect this passion, knowledge and the interesting perspective. In the end, Okanagan Lake is key to our survival.”

 

 

“It is a challenge developing a water security plan with long-term outcomes. There are so many existing responsibilities…so many standard practices. Yet we are so different. We are not the sole water supplier in our community.”

“We supply potable and non-potable water. We now operate dams, We meter and measure everything. We treat our wastewater and discharge it to our lake…our drinking water source…our playground.”

 

 

“Our other reality is that the City is growing quickly; its’ population quite affluent and reserves are available. And when approached the right way, these resources can be used to achieve our goals. There are many good things happening right now behind the scenes.”

“Our measurements and data processes are now producing analytics with new climate-driven patterns that many of our long serving staff have not seen. We are able to leverage the value of past experience and current programs, like the Partnership’s water tools and calculation processes, to develop new techniques and analytics using today’s computing power.”

Climate patterns are shifting within a system

“We are seeing the climate change in our valley, although not everyone here believes it. So, we hesitate calling it climate change. We say there are shifts happening. If you use that terminology often enough, then people at least begin to listen to the argument.”

“It was tee shirt weather in mid-January 2024 when the tree buds came out. Then it went to -30C, later decimating vineyards and orchard and crops. In 2025, many wineries are adapting by buying grapes out of Washington state until they recover.”

TOPIC TWO: SEKID merger created the need and early momentum for the Water Security Plan

Leading up to my conversation with Rod MacLean, he sent me an email late one night with his musings. A comment about the Water Security Plan as a template became the springboard to the meat of the interview:

“It took us eight years to create a Water Security Plan. It came out of a need. This is one of the MANY THINGS that we have been doing. It was a process led by other senior staff in the beginning.”

 

“When you work for a city like Kelowna, you start to realize that cities are there for a reason. They are there to sustainably service the growing population. They are there to manage growth as best they can within our boundaries.”

Genesis for the City’s One Water approach

“After the SEKID merger, we were presented with a situation where existing City bylaws did not apply. We owned new dams, new channels and new responsibilities. We were now expected to serve on committees and apply resources outside of our boundary in order to meet these new commitments.”

 

 

“Internally however, we recognized our reliance on source water protection, our impacts on natural systems and from unmitigated stormwater, and of course our very successful tertiary treatment of our wastewater and effluent disposal to Okanagan Lake.”

“On top of this, governance and partnerships came into play as we were not even the only water supplier. This is not typical of other Cities in Canada.”

 

Connecting the dots after an aha moment

“And then you tie it all together. Wait a second, this all goes into the lake which is impacted by the storms, the nutrients, and so on. And we pull water from that to drink.”

“After about two years of working on the area-based management plan, it was necessary to address the gaps were in this circular arrangement and working out where our risks are as a city. Okanagan Lake is the centre point of our community. It takes 80 years for water to turn over. We drink water from the lake, fish rely on the lake, people play in the lake.”

 

 

“We all share the lake! And that includes First Nations, communities, visitor. We have to get everybody thinking this way. We need to commit ourselves to develop best practices.”

Water Security Plan is the foundation for water-centric decisions in the City of Kelowna

“Fast forward to today. We have gone through all the study work. We have gone through all the reviews. And now we have our first effort and a basic document which Council or anyone in the City can point to and say this is our approach to water in Kelowna.”

“When we are talking about water, we have some background to help define ourselves within this plan. As we engage First Nations, we can better understand their water declarations and improve the discussion about how our values match up. It is the beginning point of a communication process.”

 

“The plan elements now front-end many of our City financial plans. Every time we go to Council with any report that includes the word water in it, staff now quote the Water Security Plan and the shared or impacted elements associated with it.”

TOPIC THREE: What it means to create a legacy

When I asked Rod MacLean whether he views the Water Security Plan as his legacy, without hesitation he responded: 

 

“The plan is not mine. It is our staff and community plan. There is a whole team that led to its creation. Pushing things over the line is my part, and really the fun part of my job.”

“Now I have been at the City long enough to see some of our new efforts going over the finish line. I like projects to be completed right…with a shiny bow on them… and a story of how we got here.”

Intergenerational context for plan implementation

“Our Water Security Plan sets out goals and actions of what we can do as a City. Having the Water Security Plan in place helps staff respond consistently to the public and our community partners. And when handled right, you have the tools to educate people about our current practices, and where we want to go.”

 

Everything is connected

“It takes an understanding of what is going on around you to recognize the gaps that are in front of you and are so crystal clear. Sometimes you are just looking at the problem slightly differently and you realize…oh, wait a second, how did I miss that before,” stated Rod MacLean to conclude the conversation.

 

 

Living Water Smart in British Columbia Series

To download a copy of the foregoing resource as a PDF document for your records and/or sharing, click on Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Kelowna’s Water Security Plan, template for One Water.

 

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2025/08/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Rod-MacLean-and-Kelowna-Water-Security-Plan_2025.pdf