The Okanagan Basin Water Board held its annual meeting today with a discussion on extreme weather.
At the Westbank Lions Community Centre in West 琉璃神社, the theme this year was Weathering Extremes, recognizing the climate in Okanagan Valley is changing and the need to act on 鈥� to adapt to, but also to mitigate 鈥� climate change, said the OBWB.
The Okanagan has seen flooding and droughts in the past, but as climate models show us, these extreme events will become more common and more intense, said the OBWB. This spring, the Okanagan saw historic flooding, followed by a prolonged period of heat and dry weather, breaking temperature and lowest precipitation records.
As part of its annual meeting this year, the OBWB showcased some of the projects it is undertaking to address these two extremes, and spoke to the need to do more, in partnership with local governments, senior levels of government, non-profits and individuals.
鈥淚n many ways, adaptation has been a core of our work,鈥� said board executive director Anna Warwick Sears. 鈥淭hings that we do to prepare for climate extremes are also best practices to make our communities stronger. Drought planning, restoring wetlands to hold flood waters, and promoting landscapes that require less water during hot, dry summers 鈥� are all forms of adaptation.鈥�
鈥淵ou look at Hurricane Harvey in Texas. There was four feet of water. It was so heavy, that it caused a two-centimetre depression in the earth鈥檚 crust,鈥� she said, turning to the flooding in the Okanagan and a presentation provided by head of public safety and protection with the ministry of forests, Shaun Reimer, who helps manage Okanagan Lake levels.
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Reimer provided an overview of this spring鈥檚 flooding at the meeting, and explained how low Okanagan snowpacks in winter suggested a potential drought this summer.
Unexpected precipitation began in March and built up the snowpack. Then the rains came and then warm weather which melted the snow, caused higher flows into the lake than could be released without causing severe flooding and bank erosion downstream, he said.
鈥淲e broke our own records for rainfall and have a new high water mark for the valley,鈥� said Sears. 鈥淗ow do you manage around extreme precipitation? There are some things you just can鈥檛 adapt to, so it鈥檚 important we bring mitigation into the conversation.鈥�
To do this, the board invited Maximilian Kniewasser, director of the Pembina Institute鈥檚 B.C. climate policy program, to speak on the state of climate action in B.C. and opportunities to grow a clean economy.
鈥淲e鈥檝e already seen a 1 C rise in global temperatures and are already seeing the impacts with back-to-back floods and wildfires that are more intense and extreme,鈥� Kniewasser said. 鈥淭here are challenges but we can adapt to a 1 C increase. It鈥檚 only going to get worse if we get to 2 C, and as a global community we can鈥檛 adapt beyond 2C. So that鈥檚 where mitigation comes in.
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鈥淎bove 2 C there will be loss of biodiversity. Food will be scarce. Rich countries will do fine, but the implications for humanity as a whole will be unprecedented. That鈥檚 not the type of world we want to live in. We are standing at an inflection point 鈥� a turning point,鈥� he added. 鈥淔ive years ago there were no good energy alternatives, but solar is cost-competitive now.
As the current drought continues in the Okanagan, the OBWB encourages residents to conserve and save water for water matters 鈥� food crops, fish and firefighting.
Find tips to conserve, as well as water restrictions for your neighbourhood .
