By Lexi McFarlane, Times Chronicle
A new approach to drought preparedness and water management is now in place in the Town of Oliver, concluding a months-long process of updating frameworks in place. The new protocol was put into action recently with the town leapfrogging from Stage 1 to Stage 3 water restrictions.
The new Drought Management Plan (DMP) was formally approved by Oliver Council, establishing new definitions for water restrictions, and refining the guidelines to determine which stages of water restrictions to enter when water conservation is required.
While a new DMP was first discussed back in March 2025, most of the input began with a March 2026 presentation by Dr. Nelson Jatel, the Okanagan Basin Water Board’s Water Stewardship Director.
More indicators for drought conditions are provided in the new DMP than the previous framework, and these factors place more weight on groundwater and well levels than before. A Tier 1 set of operational indicators, and a Tier 2 set of supporting indicators, both inform what steps to take towards better drought management.
Tier 1 indicators, which focus on things like the Town’s groundwater supply and well levels, help to determine if Stage 3 or 4 water restrictions are necessary. System demand and operational constraints may also impact a potential Stage 3 or 4 decision by the Town.
Conditions besides those relating to ground and well water are still used in the new plan as part of Tier 2, albeit more in an early-warning capacity. The size of the Okanagan snowpack, along with the levels of Skaha Lake and the Okanagan River, and provincial-level drought declarations, will factor into water restriction declarations. Seasonal trends are the other factor considered.
Kelly Mercer, the Director of Operations, later said that the approach to drought management will continue to be a daily endeavour with the new framework.
The new plan would be referenced immediately after its approval, as Council had to determine whether to enter Stage 2 or Stage 3 water restrictions under its guidelines. Mainly due to the well-level benchmarks in this plan, but also given other factors, a move to Stage 3 ended up being recommended and approved.
