Even though the Basin is endowed with several large lakes, the supply of clean, reliable water is inherently limited by the semi-arid to arid climate, which brings minimal precipitation and high evaporation and evapotranspiration rates.
The OBWB operates primarily as regional service delivery body focusing on incentive-based programs, which provide support in different ways for projects promoting good water management.
For many years the OBWB’s activities focused almost exclusively on these areas, bringing significant improvements to water quality and the aesthetics of Okanagan beaches.
Several factors over the past thirty years, including rapid population growth, increased awareness of climate change, and the forest fires[4] and drout,[5] reinforced calls to refresh the OBWB’s mandate.
The OBWB’s purpose is now stated as: “Providing leadership to protect and enhance quality of life in the Okanagan Basin through sustainable water resource management”.