Urban Water

Assessment of the impacts of upstream watershed management decisions on urban siwɬkʷ (water) systems in the sqʷʔa (Peachland Creek) area to improve sustainability and resiliency

The communities of Peachland, Penticton Indian Band, and Westbank First Nation rely on water sourced from the sqʷʔa (Peachland Creek) watershed for drinking, agriculture, recreation, and many other uses. Protecting the health of these communities requires an understanding of risks to the urban siwɬkʷ (water) cycle created by upstream watershed management choices.

Our work involves combining risk assessments, historical data, and future climate scenarios into an urban siwɬkʷ management model. The model will allow us to identify, prioritize, and recommend the management strategies that are most likely to effectively balance and protect the health of the watershed with the needs of the community to improve sustainability and resiliency.

The model will support other research efforts both inside and outside of the Watershed Ecosystems cluster, and will work as a useful and complementary tool for supporting evidence-based policy making in the region.

sqʷʔa (Peachland) watershed

Forest siwɬkʷ (water) Forests, and the natural assets they encompass, are as important for protecting Peachland’s drinking siwɬkʷ (water) as the built infrastructure we normally associate with urban siwɬkʷ.

sqʷʔa watershed The siwɬkʷ (water) that enters into urban use within the District of Peachland originates from the sqʷʔa (Peachland Creek) watershed.

Peachland Lake Snow falls in the mountains in winter and melts in spring. Reservoirs like Peachland Lake store siwɬkʷ (water) for use later in the year. In the Okanagan, siwɬkʷ demand peaks in the dry summer months.

The siwɬkʷ (water) that comes out of the tap in Peachland originates in the forests surrounding the town.
The sqʷʔa (Peachland Creek) watershed, outlined in red.
Peachland Lake is a reservoir where siwɬkʷ (water) is stored until it is needed for drinking, irrigation, and downstream aquatic habitat.