As the summer heats up in the Okanagan, water sustainability was front and centre on Sunday, June 22.
Okanagan Landing and District Community Association (OLDCA) hosted a Water Sustainability event at Vernon's Paddlewheel Park.
Set in an open house setting, the free community event aimed to educate attendees on the numerous issues water sustainability has, along with tips and tricks on how to conserve water as a homeowner.
OLDCA was joined by the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB), Petawatts, North Okanagan Naturalist Club, Okanagan Xeriscape Association, the City of Vernon and Don't Move a Mussell organizations for numerous presentations.
"We are here in the Okanagan because it is beautiful, and we want to keep it that way by treating the environment right," said OBWB's Christina White, who was among five speakers during the open house. "
Heather Larratt, a principal biologist, focused her speech on the impact of wildfire ash as a water pollutant.
"While initial recovery for water systems with wildfires is two to three years, a full recovery can take up to 50 years," said Larratt. "Some of us won't be here by the time the 2021 fire is fully recovered."
She, along with the OBWB is advocating to add another category to the B.C. fire danger ratings.
"We want to add catastrophic, which is above extreme," said Larratt. "Catastrophic is when the danger is extreme and it is windy. We want people to change their plans when this is the case and ask for everyone to work together to mitigate the risks of a wildfire."
