Planting the seeds for a sustainable future - City of Kamloops

Allocation of WaterThere are 422 provincial water licences within the City of Kamloops.241 of these licences are related to irrigation/stockwatering/nurseries. There are several throughout the City that arenot being utilized and/or were abandoned when domestic water was supplied. Irrigation is one of the major limitationsto agricultural potential in Kamloops, particularly in the southern portion of the City. Without a reliable source of water,there are limitations as to the types of crops that can be grown. If this barrier to crop production were removed, thediversity of crops and land base in terms of food growing would be greatly increased.Map 10 identifies the existing provincial water licences within the City, many of which are linked to agriculture irrigation rightsand are not being utilized. With the installation of water meters in the City of Kamloops, it will likely be more cost efficient andsustainable, in the long term, for agricultural producers to tap into existing water licences rather than continue to irrigate withdomestic, filtered water. Also identified on Map 9 is the Maximum Day Per Capita Water Consumption in selected Kamloopsneighbourhoods. Pineview Valley is among the lowest in terms of water consumption while farming areas such as Barnhartvaleand the Noble Creek area are among the highest.In the Southern Interior of BC, it is anticipated that longer and hotter growing seasons will increase crop requirements for wateror will require major improvements in water efficiency.All water in British Columbia is owned by theCrown on behalf of the residents of theprovince. Authority to divert and use surfacewater is obtained by a licence or approval inaccordance with the statutory requirements ofthe Water Act and the Water Protection Act.In British Columbia, simply having access tosurface water within or adjacent to propertydoes not authorize a right to divert, use orstore water.CITY OF KAMLOOPS 23