Living Lakes Canada (LLC) will use funding from the B.C. government to deploy a pair of projects aimed at establishing a water monitoring network in the Columbia Basin.
Officials with LLC said the Columbia Basin Water Monitoring Framework and associated Columbia Basin Water Hub are based on the fact that warmer weather anticipated due to climate change will have an effect on water availability.
LLC noted that this work will help communities and decision-makers in understanding local water quantity and how it might best be allocated to support humans and the environment.
“It is imperative that we prioritize the climate and biodiversity crisis. The problems younger generations will contend with are too overwhelming to address without strategic collaboration now,” said Kat Hartwig, Executive Director of Living Lakes Canada. “The importance of provincial support for projects that have a long-term vision for the health of communities and ecosystems simply cannot be overstated.”
The funding comes from the provincial government’s announcement of $30-million for watershed security projects.
“We applaud the Province for taking this important step and understanding the need to fund watershed security efforts to address climate impacts on water,” said Hartwig. “We are hoping this will inspire the federal government to proceed more assertively with their Canada Water Agency vision. Vertical integration of federal and provincial support to communities working to secure the health of their local watersheds is ultimately necessary to secure water for our future.”
Living Lakes Canada is one of six organizations set to receive part of this funding. The list also included BC Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Redd Fish Restoration Society, Farmland Advantage and the Rivershed Society of BC.
