Okanagan Basin

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The Okanagan Basin spans two countries and comprises the basin of Okanagan Lake, the Okanogan River and tributary valleys such as that of the Similkameen and Chelan Rivers. In Canada the basin constitutes two distinct regions within British Columbia, the Similkameen Country to the west and the main Okanagan region running from the communities of Osoyoos in the south to Armstrong in the north – incorporating most of the three Okanagan regional districts and is usually known as "the Okanagan" or as the Okanagan Valley or the Okanagan Country. In the United States, the Okanogan Country is the western, lowland core of Okanogan County, which like its Canadian counterpart has a history and economy based on ranching, gold, fruit orcharding and vineyards, but the basin includes Lake Chelan and other flanking valleys. Communities in Washington's Okanogan Basin include Brewster, Pateros, Omak, Okanogan, Oroville and Brewster.

Okanagan Lake lake in British Columbia, Canada

Okanagan Lake is a large, deep lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is 135 km (84 mi) long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2.

Okanogan River river

The Okanogan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called the Okanagan Country east of the Cascade Range and north and west of the Columbia, and also the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The Canadian portion of the river has been channelized since the mid-1950s.

Similkameen River river

The Similkameen River runs through southern British Columbia, Canada, eventually discharging into the Okanagan River near Oroville, Washington, in the United States. The river is about 197 km (122 mi) long, with a drainage basin area of 7,600 km2 (2,900 sq mi). The river is said to be named for an indigenous people called <Similkameigh>, meaning "treacherous waters".

Almost 200 km long and 8000 km2 in area [1] , the Canadian portion of the Okanagan watershed is approximately 2/3 the size of Vancouver Island. Okanagan Lake dominates the basin which contains many small lakes and watercourses. The Okanagan Valley was carved out by glaciers, and when the ice retreated approximately 10,000 years ago, the Canadian portion of the basin was filled with one huge waterbody, Lake Penticton. The Valley was scoured to something like its current state when an ice dam at the southern end of Lake Penticton melted, emptying most of the valley.

Vancouver Island Island on the western coast of Canada

Vancouver Island is in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is 460 kilometres (290 mi) in length, 100 kilometres (62 mi) in width at its widest point, and 32,134 km2 (12,407 sq mi) in area. It is the largest island on the West Coast of the Americas.

The Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network considers the Okanagan Basin to be the most arid watershed in Canada, with an urgent need for effective water management. [2] The Okanagan Basin Water Board was established more than 35 years ago, to provide leadership on regional water issues, taking a basin-wide perspective and seeking collaborative solutions. [3]

The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is a water governance body designated to identify and resolve critical water issues for the Okanagan watershed in British Columbia, Canada. It was set up to implement the recommendations of the Okanagan Basin Study, and to take on a range of responsibilities for water management. The OBWB’s jurisdiction is defined by the geographic borders of the Okanagan Basin rather than political boundaries.

See also

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Penticton City in British Columbia, Canada

Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In 2016, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration population was 43,432.

Osoyoos Town in British Columbia, Canada

Osoyoos is the southernmost town in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia between Penticton and Omak. The town is 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) north of the United States border with Washington state and is adjacent to the Osoyoos Indian Reserve. The origin of the name Osoyoos was the word sẁiẁs meaning "narrowing of the waters" in the local Okanagan language (Syilx'tsn). The "O-" prefix is not indigenous in origin and was attached by settler-promoters wanting to harmonize the name with other place names beginning with O in the Okanagan region. There is one local newspaper, the Osoyoos Times.

Oliver, British Columbia Town in British Columbia, Canada

Oliver is a town near the south end of the Okanagan Valley in the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, with a population of over 4,000 people. It is located along the Okanagan River by Tuc-el-nuit Lake between Osoyoos and Okanagan Falls, and is labeled as the Wine Capital of Canada by Tourism British Columbia.

Peachland, British Columbia District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

Peachland is a district municipality of over 5000 residents in the Okanagan Valley. It is located on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is approximately a half-hour's drive south of the city of Kelowna and about a 20-minute drive north of Summerland. The Okanagan Valley is very narrow in this area, and there are few terraces that mark former lake levels and the former lake bottom. As a result, the city is largely located on a steep sidehill. Like many areas in the Okanagan, Peachland is a rapidly growing community, with new residents coming from all across Canada. Across the lake from Peachland is Rattlesnake Island, home of the legendary Ogopogo. Peachland is approximately 370 km from Vancouver, British Columbia, on the BC South Coast.

Kaleden is a small historic, and modern rural satellite community located south of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The community of 4.32 kilometres (2.68 mi), with its population of 1,224, is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) south of Penticton along Skaha Lake in the South Okanagan and Okanagan-Similkameen. Kaleden was established by James Ritchie in the early 1900s for growing fruit. The famous "Kaleden Cots" got their beginning here. From the community beginnings as a small orcharding community, the town has evolved from fruit to vineyards and has become a bedroom community of Penticton.

Skaha Lake lake in British Columbia, Canada

Skaha Lake, historically known as Dog Lake and originally Lac Du Chien, is a freshwater lake located along the course of the Okanagan River in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. It has a surface area of approximately 20 km², with a maximum depth of 55 metres. The lake is situated directly south of Okanagan Lake and forms the southern shoreline and boundary of the city of Penticton, British Columbia. The community of Okanagan Falls is located at its southern end, the community of Kaleden lies in the upland area to its west.

Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen regional district in British Columbia

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) is in southern British Columbia, adjacent to the U.S. state of Washington. It is bounded by Fraser Valley Regional District to the west, Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Regional District of Central Okanagan to the north, Regional District of Kootenay Boundary to the east, and by Okanogan County, Washington to the south. At the 2011 census the population was 80,742. The district covers a land area of 10,413.44 square kilometres (4,020.65 sq mi). The administrative offices are in the City of Penticton.

Syilx First Nations and Native American people of the Pacific Northwest

The Okanagan people, also spelled Okanogan, are a First Nations and Native American people whose traditional territory spans the Canada–US boundary in Washington state and British Columbia in the Okanagan Country region. They call themselves the Syilx, a term now widely used. They are part of the Interior Salish ethnological and linguistic grouping. The Okanagan are closely related to the Spokan, Sinixt, Nez Perce, Pend Oreille, Secwepemc and Nlaka'pamux peoples of the same Northwest Plateau region.

The Similkameen Country, also referred to as the Similkameen Valley or Similkameen District, but generally referred to simply as The Similkameen or more archaically, Similkameen, is a region roughly coinciding with the basin of the river of the same name in the Southern Interior of British Columbia. The term "Similkameen District" also refers to the Similkameen Mining District, a defunct government administrative district, which geographically encompasses the same area, and in more casual terms may also refer to the Similkameen electoral district, which was combined with the Grand Forks-Greenwood riding by the time of the 1966 election. The Similkameen Country has deep historical connections to the Boundary Country and the two are sometimes considered one region, partly as a result of the name of the electoral district. It is also sometimes classed as being part of the Okanagan region, which results from shared regional district and other administrative boundaries and names. The term "Similkameen District" may also historically refer to the Similkameen Division Yale Land District, which also includes Osoyoos and the Boundary Country to Osoyoos' east.

Okanagan Desert

The Okanagan Desert is the common name for a semi-arid area located in the South Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, primarily around the town of Osoyoos. Part of the area is called the Nk'mip Desert by the Osoyoos Indian Band, though the entire region, like other similar parts of the British Columbia Interior, is technically a semi-arid shrub-steppe.

Okanagan Country

The Okanagan Country, also known as the Okanagan Valley, is a region located in the Canadian province of British Columbia, and the U.S. state of Washington, defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Okanagan River. With an estimated 400,000 residents, the Okanagan Country spans from the Thompson Plateau near Grindrod, British Columbia in the Okanagan to the Okanagan Highland near Douglas County, Washington in the Okanogan. The largest city in the Canadian portion is Kelowna, with a metropolitan population of 194,882 residents as of 2016, while the largest city in the American portion is Omak, with 4,881 residents as of 2011. The region took its current name in honor of the Okanagan term, ukʷnaqín. The mild climate and close proximity to lakes, rivers and mountainous regions make the Okanagan Country an outdoor recreational destination. The region's economy is dominated by the primary industries of agriculture and forestry, although economic diversification has also occurred with retirement communities and recreational tourism. The American portion is considered to be more remote than the Canadian division, with approximately 10 percent of the population.

CKOR is a Canadian radio station in Penticton, British Columbia. Bell Media owns the station, which operates at 800 AM with 10,000 watts of transmission power in the daytime and 500 watts at night, and airs an adult contemporary music format under the EZ Rock brand. CKOR uses a non-directional antenna at all times.

Penticton Transit System

Penticton Transit provides local public transportation services in the City of Penticton in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada, with a fleet of fully accessible low floor transit buses. The system consists of eight scheduled routes serving the city, which includes a night route; a connecting service by Okanagan-Similkameen Transit to the community of Naramata; a summer lake-to-lake route; and a HandyDART service for people who are unable to use regular transit.

References

  1. ↑ "What We Do – Overview | Okanagan Basin Water Board". www.obwb.ca. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  2. ↑ Morris, Tim (May 2014). "The Future of Freshwater Funding in Canada: Mobilizing Collective Resources for Healthy Watersheds" (PDF). www.cegn.org. Canadian Environmental Grantmakers’ Network. Retrieved 2015-12-07. OKANAGAN BASIN: Canada’s most arid watershed is facing significantly increased water withdrawals due to a population explosion, agricultural expansion and climate change.
  3. ↑ Okanagan Basin Water Board

Coordinates: 49°32′N119°35′W / 49.533°N 119.583°W / 49.533; -119.583

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

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