City of Kimberley to Conduct Innovative Watershed Wildfire Risk Management Project
The City of Kimberley is leading a first-of-its-kind project designed to better understand and reduce wildfire risk in the community's watersheds while protecting drinking water supplies. The project represents a major step forward in supporting long-term watershed resilience and water security planning for Kimberley.
City staff have been pursuing funding opportunities for this initiative since 2018, following the Meachen Creek Fire, which highlighted the vulnerability of community water supplies to catastrophic wildfire. Columbia Basin Trust is providing $300,000 toward the project, while the City is contributing $100,000 through its General Operating Capital Reserve.
"This project has been years in the making," said Mayor Don McCormick. "Protecting our community's drinking water is one of Council's highest priorities. This funding will help us better understand wildfire risks and identify practical actions we can take to protect our water supply and community."
The City's drinking water comes from the Mark Creek and Matthew Creek watersheds. Recent wildfire activity in the region has highlighted the need to better understand how wildfire could affect both water quality and quantity in these watersheds. Working with researchers from the University of British Columbia Okanagan and wildfire ecologist Bob Gray, the project will provide the information needed to make informed decisions about reducing wildfire risk while protecting the long-term health of these watersheds.
The project may also help other communities manage wildfire risks in their watersheds. One key outcome will be a toolkit to help Kimberley and other areas balance wildfire risk reduction with other watershed uses such as logging, recreation, and other forestry-related activities.
"Wildfire can have long-lasting impacts on watersheds and drinking water supplies," said Bob Gray. "This project will give Kimberley the science-based information needed to make informed decisions about future watershed management and wildfire risk reduction."
The project is expected to take approximately two years to complete. Results will help guide watershed protection efforts and support funding applications and implementation projects to make Kimberley's watersheds more resilient to wildfire.
For more information, visit https://www.kimberley.ca/wildfire-management-program/watershed-wildfire….
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