Brian Faltinson of the Osoyoos Lake Water Quality Society measures the pH or acidity of a sample of water collected from Osoyoos Lake. Water quality is one of the topics that will be discussed at a forum in October. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is moving forward with plans for the third Osoyoos Lake Water Science Forum to be held in Osoyoos in October.
In her report to last week’s board meeting, Anna Warwick Sears, OBWB executive director, said the forum will be held from Oct. 7 to 9. The last forum was held in 2011.
“It’s a mixture of people from both sides of the border,” she said. “We feature all kinds of different talks and there are opportunities for questions and answers and discussions about all the different water issues that affect Osoyoos Lake and the waters coming down to it.”
Some of these water issues also affect the Okanagan River upstream to Okanagan Lake and downstream to the Okanogan River in Washington.
Because the Similkameen River joins the Okanogan River just south of Osoyoos Lake, it also forms part of the discussion, Warwick Sears said.
While the forum is likely to include experts and members of the International Joint Commission (IJC), it is also aimed at the general public. The IJC is the Canada-U.S. commission that overseas waterways that cross the international boundary.
“Usually in the past, the public has participated mainly by getting involved in some of the question-and-answer sessions,” Warwick Sears said.
Attendance has included people ranging from school children to retirees and discussions have been lively, especially when retired water engineers living in Osoyoos have peppered the Osoyoos Lake Board of Control with questions, she said.
Issues discussed at the forums include the fisheries, water quality, water levels and various water management issues.
Past forums have been held at the Sonora Community Centre, but Warwick Sears said that location is still tentative for this year.
In her report, Warwick Sears said Carolina Restrepo-Tamayo has recently been engaged as the conference co-ordinator and fundraising has begun.
Included on the steering committee are Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff and former mayor and OBWB chair Stu Wells in the capacity of a concerned citizen. Representatives from Washington Department of Ecology, Environment Canada, the Okanagan Nation Alliance, U.S. Geological Survey, IJC and Lake Osoyoos Association are also included.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
