Deadline: 21-Feb-25
The Okanagan Basin Water Board is pleased to announce its Water Conservation and Quality Improvement Grant Program to recognize the importance of enabling projects that enhance water quality and conserve water in the Okanagan Valley.
Objectives
- This program is intended to:
- encourage a collaborative approach to water management;
- promote more uniform standards and best practices throughout the valley;
- increase knowledge sharing;
- support innovative solutions;
- help local organizations address water issues and enhance valley-wide sustainable water use; and
- assist projects that might otherwise lack funds to move forward in a timely manner.
Funding Information
- Successful projects will receive between $3,000 and $30,000 (maximum $30,000 per project, even with multiple partnering organizations). A total of $350,000 is made available annually by the OBWB for this valley-wide program.
Eligible Projects
- Eligible projects must:
- Demonstrate water savings or improvements to water quality
- Be supported by a local government through a letter of support
- Be consistent with water management objectives in their respective jurisdictions
Ineligible Projects
- Ineligible projects include, but are not limited to:
- Bylaw compliance and enforcement programs
- Capital projects that are growth driven and should be funded by development cost charges
- Work for private water utilities
- Projects that were completed in the past/previously undertaken work
- Research/development projects that are associated with ‘for-profit’ business activities
- Projects outside of the Okanagan Basin
Eligible Activities
- Eligible projects can include, but are not limited to, the following activities:
- Drought and Flood Preparedness: Projects that assist communities in creating drought plans and drought and flood preparedness such as floodplain mapping.
- Education: Projects that educate to increase public knowledge and encourage action around water conservation or quality improvement.
- Irrigation: Projects that aim to increase irrigation efficiency, reduce leaks, reduce water use and create system improvements.
- Groundwater Studies: Projects that lend to the protection of groundwater quality or quantity through research, or direct action.
- Mapping: Projects that gather mapping data, such as sensitive habitat inventories, foreshore inventories, aquatic habitat indices, and cultural mapping to inform better riparian and shoreline management.
- Metering: Projects that install or upgrade domestic, agricultural, industrial or institutional meters for the purpose of increasing water use efficiency, or conserving water. May also include water audits and leak detection projects.
- Source Water Protection: Projects that undertake planning initiatives or action for the protection of source water, either surface or ground. This includes risk assessment for source areas to identify potential and current impacts on water quality.
- System Improvement: Projects that improve water delivery systems through more efficient use of water, or by enhancing water quality in the system. Cannot be used for capital projects or infrastructure repair.
- Water Treatment Study: Projects that aim to improve water treatment through a better understanding of current or innovative new technologies and practices.
- Water Management Planning: Projects that develop and implement conservation or efficiency planning initiatives including domestic water conservation plans, water use plans, and/or new water conservation policy including domestic irrigation standards or volume-based pricing bylaws.
- Water Quality Assessments: Projects that assess source water quality in order to support improved management and protection.
- Xeriscape: Projects that demonstrate enhanced water conservation in outdoor landscaping areas in residential, agricultural, industrial or institutional settings.
- Water Flow Monitoring: Projects that collect stream or hydrological data, such as stream flow monitoring and water quality data.
- Restoration: Projects that restore or enhance riparian, stream, wetland, or foreshore areas to improve water quality or enhance natural flow-related ecosystem services, including flood control.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants include Okanagan:
- Municipalities
- Regional districts
- Irrigation/improvement districts (must be water suppliers and recognized under the Local Government Act and Community Charter)
- Okanagan First Nations
- Non-profit community organizations
Ineligibility Criteria
- Ineligible applicants include:
- Senior government agencies (i.e. provincial or federal)
- Consulting firms (or consultant-led projects)
- Businesses
For more information, visit Okanagan Basin Water Board.