Chute Creek Restoration Project Highlighted:
Dr. Peter Mortifee presented to the Board about the Lower Chute Creek Restoration and Reconstruction Project, funded in part by the OBWB’s Water Conservation and Quality Improvement Grant program. The project aims to protect local residents from spring flooding and to regenerate the Lower Chute Creek ecosystem. The collaborative project fosters community engagement and learning opportunities that can be applied to similar restoration projects throughout the valley. Learn more about the project at www.chutecreek.org/project
Water Board and partners to Update Mission Creek Water Use Plan:
OBWB staff are beginning work with the Okanagan Nation Alliance, the City of Kelowna, and the Black Mountain Irrigation District (among other partners) to update the 2010 Mission Creek Water Use Plan. Significant changes have happened since the first plan was created. The plan will consider infrastructure changes, increased residential development and irrigation, and more frequent extreme low-flows in Mission Creek. The work will take a collaborative approach to manage flows in Mission Creek, and support the return of sockeye and chinook salmon to Mission Creek.
Water Board Continues Work to Prevent Invasive Mussels:
Staff will attend a summit on invasive mussel prevention and readiness, hosted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, where the OBWB can learn lessons from the on-going Snake River, Idaho incursion of quagga mussels. Board Directors also received an update on the discovery of an invasive mussel new to North America: the Golden Mussel. This species, originally from China, represents a significant threat to infrastructure and habitats and can adapt easily to lakes with low calcium content. While the Okanagan remains invasive mussel-free, the costs of an infestation are expected to be tens of millions.
Water Stewardship Council Update:
The Water Stewardship Council (WSC), a technical advisory council of the OBWB, held its monthly meeting on Thursday Nov. 12th. Some updates from the council include progress on Modernizing the Okanagan Lake Regulation System, water demand modelling proposals, and research on water quality including impacts from blue-green algae. The next WSC meeting will be Thursday Dec. 12th.
La Niña Has Yet to Bring A Colder, Wetter Fall/Winter To The Okanagan:
Despite harsh weather events in other parts of the province, and a predicted La Niña winter which should see more rainfall and cooler temperatures, the Okanagan has had less rainfall than usual in September and November this year compared to the monthly average rainfall from 1994-2023 in Coldstream, Kelowna, and Penticton.
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