Webinar: Groundwater and Agriculture in the Columbia Basin
Wednesday, April 2
Co-hosted by Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors and Living Lakes Canada
Careful management and allocation of groundwater became increasingly important for agriculture as climate change impacts like drought intensified and demand for water increased. In the Columbia Basin, Living Lakes Canada led a 400% increase in groundwater monitoring through the Columbia Basin Groundwater Monitoring Program and, more recently, conducted an aquifer vulnerability assessment. Agriculture placed significant demand on groundwater in the Columbia Basin, and users were required to licence their groundwater wells to continue using the water for irrigation, which gave rise to many questions about groundwater resources. In this webinar, producers came away with an improved understanding of aquifer dynamics, the link between groundwater and agriculture, groundwater rights, the available data and how to access it, and aquifers of concern or significance for agricultural use. Guest presenters included Braeden Toikka, water monitoring coordinator with Living Lakes Canada, and Mike Wei, physical hydrogeologist and groundwater policy expert. Living Lakes Canada gratefully acknowledged the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Columbia Basin Trust, and RBC Tech for Nature.
WATCH RECORDING HERE!
Important links & contact information:
- To learn more about the Living Lakes Canada Columbia Basin Groundwater Monitoring Program, visit the project page or contact groundwater@livinglakescanada.
ca. - To find the program’s Volunteer Observation Wells in locations of interest, visit the Columbia Basin Water Hub.
- To contact our presenters:
- Rachael Roussin, Coordinator, Kootenay and Boundary Farm Advisors – coordinator@kbfa.ca
- Mike Wei – waterwei@telus.net
- Braeden Toikka, Water Monitoring Technician, Living Lakes Canada – groundwater@livinglakescanada.
ca - Tim Sivak, Western Water – tim@westernwater.ca
- Access PDFs of the presentations:
- To register for Mike Wei’s upcoming courses:
- Water Rights Basics for Licensed Groundwater Users in British Columbia (April 10 in Kamloops): visit the BC Groundwater Association’s Annual Convention event page and click NEXT three times, and the course registration page will come up OR email accounts@bcgwa.org.
- Water Rights Basics for Groundwater Users in British Columbia – Virtual Classroom (May 9 online): visit the BC Water & Waste Association’s registration page.
- For Mike Wei’s commentary on the Water Sustainability Act co-published with Donna Forsyth, visit Commentary: the Water Sustainability Act and the hybridized water rights system in British Columbia, Canada (paywall – subscription required) or contact him directly at waterwei@telus.net.
