The Okanagan Basin Water Board has approved $300,000 in funding to 18 projects to help conserve and improve the quality of water in the valley.

The water board directors approved the Water Conservation and Quality Improvement (WCQI) grants at their April 3 meeting and recipients were notified last week. In all, there were 23 applications with a total funding request of $435,180.

Those projects approved for funding ranged from public outreach for water quality protection to water conserving irrigation improvements in public parks.

害羞草研究所淭his program has such value,害羞草研究所� said OBWB chair Tracy Gray, noting that the grants are made available to local governments, but also to schools, stewardship groups and others, encouraging broader engagement on valley-wide water issues.

害羞草研究所淪olutions are not always government driven. This is a tremendous way to engage others, recognizing that we害羞草研究所檙e all part of 害羞草研究所極ne valley. One water.害羞草研究所櫤π卟菅芯克鶟

Related: Okanagan Valley receives funding for floodplain mapping

Another benefit has been the ability for grant recipients to leverage OBWB funding to bring in additional funds for Okanagan water projects, Gray added. Up until the current funding cycle, this has amounted to more than $27.2 million invested in our valley.

Four projects were funded in the North Okanagan this year, including $14,730 to the Okanagan Collaborative Conservation Program to build out an Okanagan-based school curriculum on water and work with the Indigenous Syilx community to include traditional ecological knowledge.

害羞草研究所淭his project represents an important opportunity to broaden water knowledge throughout the valley, by providing a curriculum for teachers to directly educate about water issues and the solutions we are collectively pursuing,害羞草研究所� added James Littley, OBWB害羞草研究所檚 operations and grants manager.

In the Central Okanagan, 10 projects were funded, including $25,000 to the Mission Creek Restoration Initiative to ensure flood protection and wildlife habitat restoration objectives are being met.

This multi-year project demonstrates the impact of watercourse restoration and the positive effects it can have on water quality, flood mitigation, sediment control and habitat enhancement. This project, like similar projects in the valley, help restore ecosystems and create benefits at a fraction of the cost of providing traditional infrastructure.

害羞草研究所淭he Mission Creek Restoration Initiative has been a shining example of best practices, collaboration and project management,害羞草研究所� Littley added.

害羞草研究所淢ission Creek accounts for 25 per cent of the water that flows into Okanagan Lake. A healthy, functioning creek is especially critical as we experience droughts and floods. Projects like this can help mitigate the effects of these extreme events.害羞草研究所�

Another four projects were supported in the South Okanagan. One of these was $29,000 to the En害羞草研究所檕wkin Centre for a floodplain re-engagement project. The project involves reconnecting the Penticton portion of the Okanagan River Channel to 4.83 hectares of the river害羞草研究所檚 adjacent historic floodplain, allowing for natural backwatering as water levels in the main river channel rise and fall.

This will provide numerous benefits, including the creation of a seasonal off-channel rearing habitat for Indigenous fish and refuge for juvenile salmon, specifically for sk害羞草研究所檒wist/ntytyix (i.e. chinook salmon). It will also support indigenous biodiversity and recovery of species at-risk, and improve connectivity between rare and endangered floodplain habitats with upland plant habitats.

In addition, the project will provide an opportunity to share local Indigenous cultural and ecological education, awareness and interaction.

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 really excited about this project.害羞草研究所� Littley added. 害羞草研究所淩econnecting the river to the floodplain here means so much for the water in terms of conservation and quality improvement, but it is also complementary to the work that the Okanagan Nation and its member bands have been doing to restore salmon and salmon habitat throughout the valley.

害羞草研究所淭here are so many positive economic, social and environmental benefits from projects like this, especially when you look at the cumulative impact of similar efforts up and down the Okanagan system.害羞草研究所�

Since the Water Board began awarding WCQI grants in 2006, it has awarded more than $4.1 million to 250 projects throughout the Okanagan.

The amount available in each region is based on the contribution provided by each Okanagan regional district. Projects must meet a number of criteria, including the ability to demonstrate water savings or improvements to water quality, collaboration and valley-wide benefit.

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