Water Wise program extended over winter due to drought

Armstrong has been named the most water-wise community in the Okanagan for 2023.

The North Okanagan city was awarded the Make Water Work Community Champion title by the Okanagan Basin Water Board after collecting the most pledges per capita from residents to limit their outdoor water use.

Since 2012, the water board has run a valley-wide outdoor residential water conservation campaign, called Make Water Work (website at www.MakeWaterWork.ca) to raise awareness for water in the region and help address the second largest use of water in the valley.

The campaign runs May to October, when competition for water is highest.

But as drought continues and the Okanagan is expected to experience a warmer and drier winter due to El Niño, the importance of avoiding water waste remains important. As such, the Okanagan WaterWise program will be encouraging indoor water conservation and helping residents plan and prepare landscapes to be more water efficient and meet the needs of a healthy ecosystem.

In wrapping up the 2023 Make Water Work campaign, two Okanagan residents have each won $500 towards a WaterWise yard upgrade: Shannan Machulski from West Kelowna and Ken De Grott of Vernon.

The Make Water Work campaign is delivered in partnership with Okanagan local governments and utilities, as well as several garden centre and irrigation businesses.

The OBWB sends out special thanks to its partners including: Blue Mountain Nursery in Armstrong, Nicholas Alexander Landscaping and Swan Lake Market & Garden in Vernon, Ace Hardware in Lake Country, Kel-Lake Garden Centre, Wild Bloom Nursery and ProSource Irrigation in Kelowna, GardenWorks in Penticton, Sagebrush Nursery in Oliver and Sandhu Greenhouses in Osoyoos, and the Okanagan Xeriscape Association.