Aquatic resources
With development increasing in the Okanagan, there is increased pressure on local streams, watercourses, wetlands and lakes.
Okanagan Lake is the main feature in the Central Okanagan that provides a unique and beautiful landscape as well as the basic sustenance needed for a vibrant community and economy. Riparian and wetland areas are valuable aquatic resources in the Okanagan. Riparian areas link water to land. They border streams, lakes, and wetlands. The blend of streambed, water, trees, shrubs, and grasses in a riparian area provides fish habitat, and directly influences it. Wetlands include ponds, marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens. These ecosystems provide benefits like clean drinking water, flood and drought relief, recreational opportunities, as well as habitat for wildlife. Wetlands are very rare in the Okanagan and many have been lost due to land use practices.
Water is a collective resource that is shared by people and the environment and supports the economy. It is important that we continue to effectively manage water resources to ensure the region and the Okanagan Valley can accommodate the needs for all users, including plants and animals in the environment, now and in the future.
Protection of aquatic resources
The Local Government Act permits the Regional District to protect watercourses by identifying them in an Official Community Plan and implementing their protection through Development Permit Area provisions. Additionally, the Zoning Bylaw has provisions for minimum setbacks for development from watercourses. Current practice in the RDCO is to work closely with federal and provincial agencies and the development industry to ensure that on-site consideration is given to watercourses and sensitive areas.
Provincial Riparian Areas Protection Regulation (RAPR), directs local government to protect riparian areas from development. The RAPR calls on local governments to protect riparian areas during development by ensuring that a Qualified Environmental Professional (QEP) conducts a science-based assessment of proposed development activities.
Aquatic ecosystems in the Okanagan continue to be threatened by development. The Okanagan Wetlands Strategy was launched by various project partners throughout region and is a three-phase effort to re-establish wetland ecosystems.
Through the Okanagan Wetlands Strategy project, a guidebook was developed for local governments on the use of constructed wetlands for stormwater management in the Okanagan Basin. The use of constructed wetlands in stormwater management could help to maintain water quality and contribute to the multiple-barrier approach to the protection of the Okanagan's water sources. This resource provides information to support local governments in designing and implementing constructed wetlands for stormwater retention and water quality improvement through treatment.
Wetland Inventory and Mapping (WIM) is a key facet of wetland protection and conservation efforts. It has been completed on all wetlands within the region and has informed much of the work completed as part of the Okanagan Wetlands Strategy. Read about the wetland inventory and mapping project.
Water quality
Protecting water quality is important to residents of the Okanagan and is of growing concern worldwide. The water we use every day is subject to pollutants and can easily become contaminated. Drinking water sources such groundwater and aquifers are especially vulnerable when they occur in areas of development.
Groundwater
What is groundwater |
|
Groundwater is water occurring below the ground that infiltrates and travels sub-surface discharging into streams and Okanagan Lake. |
Why is it important? |
|
Groundwater is an important source of drinking water for many communities in the Central Okanagan. Currently, the ground water levels in the Okanagan are declining and below average. Many residents rely on wells to supply their drinking water. Many community wells, however, are located in areas where human activities can affect water quality. The impact is most severe where community wells draw water from shallow aquifers that are vulnerable to contamination from land use activities and non-point sources of pollution. Unregulated activities at the land surface have already resulted in the contamination of some community wells. |
Are you a private well owner? |
|
Private wells supply water to individual households but it is often forgotten that they connect to large underground water sources called aquifers. Keeping pollution out of your well helps protect the quality of water for everyone on the aquifer. Property owners are encouraged by the provincial government to perform well maintenance and care to ensure the health of the water from groundwater sources. For specific information or questions on testing your well water supply, contact your local public health inspector. |
Licensing groundwater in BC? |
|
All irrigators, industries, waterworks and others who divert and use groundwater from a well or dugout for non-domestic purposes are required to apply for a water license under the Water Sustainability Act. Domestic use is exempt from licensing including water for household use by occupants of a private dwelling, fire prevention, private lawn and garden watering (up to 1,000m²), and domestic animals. However, domestic well owners are encouraged to register their well for free to make their water use known so it can be protected. For more information visit register your well. |
What is an aquifer? |
|
An aquifer is a natural underground reservoir that holds and provides groundwater to wells, streams and springs. When water is found in cracks and pores in the rock, we call this a “bedrock” aquifer. When water is found in the spaces between sand and gravel, we call this an “unconsolidated” aquifer. In 2013, the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) released a groundwater monitoring report to provide a case study for aquifer measurement and monitoring, and to assist in the development of protocols and best practices for other ground water observation wells for optimizing the value of data through a local or regional community engagement process. |
Okanagan Lake
Development around the lake |
|
As a natural resource, Okanagan Lake has a direct impact on the quality of life residents enjoy, as well as, long-term social and economic conditions on communities on the lake. The RDCO is committed to the protection of the natural environment along the foreshore, the protection of kokanee spawning grounds, wildlife habitat and the protection of the water quality of the Lake. Keeping the lakeshore natural is important to manage water resources effectively. There are many policies and regulations in place and resource materials available to educate on this topic including: |
What about kokanee? |
|
Okanagan Lake historically supported a large kokanee population. Recently the kokanee population has undergone a significant decline. Key issues identified for the decline included habitat deterioration, lake nutrient reduction and competition between kokanee and mysis relicta (crustacean). Public and government concern for their future have led to various regional initiatives and policy directives. The Okanagan Large Lakes Foreshore Protocol provides direction to proponents and qualified professionals on requirements for provincial natural resource applications based on the environmental sensitivity of a site and the risk of the foreshore development activity. One of the environmental values focused on in the protocol include shore spawning kokanee. The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) has been leading the way in the resurgence of Kokanee fish populations and are actively involved in the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of fish stocks, and in particular with Okanagan River sockeye salmon. The ONA work to provide technical fisheries assistance for the Nation and its eight member communities and acts as a liaison between federal and provincial fisheries agencies and other NGOs. |
Invasive freshwater mussels |
|
The Don't Move a Mussel campaign has been initiated by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) in an effort to keep the Okanagan free of invasive mussel species such as zebra and quagga. Invasive mussels can have detrimental impacts on water quality, lake ecology, and the local economy. Boaters are encouraged to follow the “clean, drain, dry” protocol and stop at watercraft inspection stations. |
Streams
What is a stream? |
|
A stream under the BC Water Sustainability Act means a natural watercourse or source of water supply, whether usually containing water or not, ground water, and a lake, river, creek, spring, ravine, swamp and gulch. |
Why are streams important? |
|
Stream corridors are important in many ways. Firstly, they:
|
Benefits to the local economy |
|
Evidence indicates that protecting streams has a positive or beneficial economic effect to local economies. For example:
|