Financial resources are being pumped into water-related projects in the North Okanagan.
The Okanagan Basin Water Board has approved $55,800 in funding for three projects in the region.
“This year we saw a lot of very strong applications focused on action for conserving water or improving its quality,” said James Littley, OBWB operations and grants manager.
Among the grants is $15,427 to Sqilxw Apna, a local non-profit, to help protect and restore the lower reaches of N’sisooloxw or Bradley Creek on the west side of Okanagan Lake.
The project combines traditional ecological knowledge of Okanagan Indian Band elders with scientific data gathered about the current health of the creek.
“This project is community-led, and proposes to work with volunteers to accomplish the goals of educating about the creek, conducting scientific sampling, protecting it from development pressures, and restoring a portion to a more natural state,” said Littley.
“A lot of work we fund looks at streams that have already been significantly impacted by human activity, and that’s important. This project will be proactive in protecting a creek which has been altered, but not to as great an extent as others in more urbanized areas. We can protect what we have, and restore what has been lost.”
There is also $20,000 going to the Regional District of North Okanagan for a watershed risk communication project and $20,373 to the University of B.C. to study the turbidity risk from off-road vehicles in watersheds.