A new technology tool has been adopted by the Okanagan Basin Water Board to provide real-time monitoring information about stream water levels across the Okanagan.
Called the Environmental Flow Shiny App, the device will help water decision-makers access up-to-the-minute information, updated every 15 minutes, to assess stream health and ensure conditions are suitable for area fish populations.
The initiative was showcased at the recent national conference of the Canadian Water Resource Association hosted by Penticton, on May 26-28.
It was developed by the water board staff in collaboration with the Okanagan Nation Alliance to enhance the existing hydrometric monitoring program.
"With hotter, drier summers and rising water demand, Okanagan decision-makers need real-time tools to act quickly and responsibly," said Nelson Jatel, the OBWB water stewardship director.
"We're proud to share this innovative app with colleagues across Canada. It's a powerful example of how real-time data and Indigenous-led water knowledge development can support smarter, more sustainable water decisions in watersheds nationwide."
Dr. Zhaozhi Wang, a hydrologist with ONA, added the new app can be instrumental in balancing environmental needs with societal demands, such as irrigation and municipal domestic water supply issues.
"Access to real-time environmental flow information is critical to fisheries management," Wang said.
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OBWB chair Blair Ireland, the Mayor of Lake Country, has raised concerns that the Okanagan was not included in the 2024 Canada Water Agency's Freshwater Action Plan's recognition of eight freshwater bodies as being of national significance, despite the Okanagan watershed region's ongoing legacy as a national freshwater research leader.
"The Okanagan Valley is one of Canada's most water-stressed regions, and necessity continues to drive innovation here," said Ireland.
"The Okanagan Nation Alliance's work to restore sockeye salmon is inspiring, and the OBWB is proud to be a long-standing partner in science-based water management.
"But it's deeply disappointing that the federal government failed to include the Okanagan in its list of nationally significant watersheds."
Ireland pointed to the 1974 Okanagan Basin Study - one of Canada's largest federally funded freshwater research initiatives 香蕉视频直播� as a landmark example of the region's leadership.
That study responded to serious water quality concerns from nutrient loading and wastewater impacts, laying the groundwork for decades of watershed governance and collaborative science innovation.
"Excluding our watershed from national recognition threatens our ability to access critical funding to protect water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and climate resilience."
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The Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services will be hosting public forums with invited presenters across the province to access fiscal budget priorities for the 2026-27 provincial budget.
The OBWB has been invited to make a presentation at the Kelowna committee forum, and executive director Melissa Tesche says the advocacy priority will continue to be the need for consistent, long-term funding for the prevention of invasive zebra and quagga mussel infestations.
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Carolina Restrepo, office and grants manager for the OBWB, attended the recent 2025 Environmental Funders Canada National Conference hosted in partnership with the Kluane First Nation in Whitehorse, Yukon.
The event gathered more than 120 representatives from philanthropic organizations, community foundations, all levels of government, Indigenous leaders and environment advocates.
"Over three days, the conference provided a powerful space for place-based learning, deep storytelling and meaningful relationship building, sessions integrating Indigenous knowledge, environment justice themes, and on-the-land experiences 香蕉视频直播� including visits to glacier sites and local cultural landmarks," stated Restrepo's staff report to the OBWB.
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The Don't Move a Mussel campaign is now in full swing as billboards promoting the waterway safety campaign against invasive mussels have gone up at the south and north ends of Okanagan Valley.
Rack cards displaying a responsible recreation checklist for boaters created by the Okanagan and Similkameen Invasive Species Society will also be available across the valley in the coming weeks.
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Sandra Schira, water science specialist, advises in her report to the OBWB that as of May 1, the Okanagan snowpack was at 67 per cent of normal 香蕉视频直播� the third lowest in the last 10 years.
Heading towards June, Schira reports that the freshet is well underway, with lower elevation snowpack monitoring stations like Brenda Mines near Peachland already being snow-free.
As of May 20, Schira says precipitation has not yet shown a considerable impact on snow levels, as provincial officials have already begun drought meetings in anticipation of another dry, hot summer ahead in B.C.
"香蕉视频直播onditions are dry but better than last year," Schira concluded in her weather update report.
