Okanagan WaterWise has four central goals:
1) To bring residents of the Okanagan valley together with the understanding that our water source is connected — we all share the same water;
2) To increase awareness among valley residents about water issues in the Okanagan;
3) To support Okanagan residents in making positive changes in their own water habits that will protect the quality and quantity of our valley's water; and
4) To share ideas about how we can all do something to keep this place special — preserving the unique character of the region.
Did you know, on average, Okanagan Lake only fills 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) per year?
To use any more than that - and use more than can be naturally replenished - could draw the lake down and create a Lake Mead-type situation.
The Case of Lake Mead, Nevada
Lake Mead, in Nevada, is similar in size to Lake Okanagan. The combination of a couple years of drought and high human demand means that water from Lake Mead is being used faster than nature can replenish it.
Lake levels have dropped dramatically, and in the spring of 2011, Lake Mead was 37 metres (124 feet) below the full water line. The top of the white rock face shows the height of the full water level. Using more water than nature can replenish is often referred to as "mining the lake," because the water used is almost impossible to replace.
Can you imagine what this would be like in the Okanagan?
"We are one community, one valley, one water."