Water and More Water

It seems that water is getting a lot of attention these days, and rightly so. First, there was a BC Water Symposium which focused on creating a Water Science strategy. The symposium was held concurrently in Prince George (UNBC), Kelowna (UBC-O), and Victoria (UVic). The purpose of this event was information and knowledge translation and exchange as it pertains to the sustainable management of water and resources. At the symposium, I heard clearly that:

• We need to act now and scientists and policy-makers need to work together before it is too late; and
  
• First Nations knowledge and science of water needs to be taken into account when it comes to water conservation and use.
  

I was impressed by what Chief Keith Matthews of the Simpcw First Nation had to say. He said that First Nations have a sacred connection with water and have had since time immemorial; that First Nations have protected this critical resource through traditional conservation practices; that, in order to conserve water properly, people need to understand the natural and spiritual laws of water; that water is a way of life and we can't live without it. I was also impressed by Dr. Hans Schreier who clearly said that we have an archaic legal system dealing with water resources and conservation; that we need new policies allowing conservation rather than waste; and that water metering is absolutely essential to conservation (Canada is the country that uses the most water in the world and pays the least).

Then the Okanagan Basin Water Board had its Annual General Meeting and I was shocked to learn some simple usage comparisons. Did you know that in Israel the average consumption of water per individual is 135 liters per day? And in France is 150 liters per day? It seems a lot. But get this: in Canada the individual consumption average is 329 liters and in the Okanagan is a whopping 675 liters per day. Something is wrong with this picture. Well, France and Israel have universal water metering and have had it for decades, like most European countries. What are we waiting for?

In Lake Country we are dealing with many water issues. The Oyama Boil Water Advisory is on and will stay on until the new water system is constructed, which may take a few years. Our Water Master Plan is near completion and our staff and Water Advisory Committee have worked hard to come up with recommendations and options. Still, more work needs to be done and we hope to have recommendations for Council in November. Finally we have prepared a Water Primer, which we are going to give to the public and which we hope is going to help with water conservation efforts.

As I mentioned before, it is a tough topic but we all need to work together on this. Water is a precious resource and our future depends on it.

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