In the United States, the Okanogan Country is the western, lowland core of Okanogan County, which like its Canadian counterpart has a history and economy based on ranching, gold, fruit orcharding and vineyards, but the basin includes Lake Chelan and other flanking valleys.
Almost 200 km long and 8000 km2 in area,[1] the Canadian portion of the Okanagan watershed is approximately 2/3 the size of Vancouver Island.
The Okanagan Valley was carved out by glaciers, and when the ice retreated approximately 10,000 years ago, the Canadian portion of the basin was filled with one huge waterbody, Lake Penticton.
The Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network considers the Okanagan Basin to be the most arid watershed in Canada, with an urgent need for effective water management.
[2] The Okanagan Basin Water Board was established more than 35 years ago, to provide leadership on regional water issues, taking a basin-wide perspective and seeking collaborative solutions.