Experts call the ongoing drought south of the border the worst since the dust bowl in the 1930s, which only makes negotiations about the future of water agreements between Canada and the U.S. even more crucial.
One particular waterway in question is Osoyoos Lake; the lake will be the topic of discussion at a public hearing Wednesday night.
The hearing on the international Osoyoos Lake agreement takes place 7 p.m. at the Best Western Plus Sunrise Inn on Main Street in Osoyoos. A similar hearing was held Tuesday just across the border in Oroville, Washington.
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The current orders on the lake, which sits in both Canada and the United States, expire on February 22, 2013. It has been 25 years since the last hearings on the body of water.
The agreement between the two countries essentially regulates water levels on the lake. It is a body of water people depend on, not just as a source of drinking water, but for tourism and agriculture. Therefore what happens to Osoyoos Lake will affect people throughout the Okanagan and on the other side of the 49th parallel.
In a report by the International Osoyoos Lake Board of Control, it calls for “retaining the scope of the renewed Order to management of lake levels with only minor modifications that are primarily related to a revised lake level rule curve”.
The board is recommending a rule curve, which it believes would provide seasonal flexibility in achieving targeted lake levels. The board states it would also eliminate the drought/non-drought declaration and would limit summer maximum lake levels to 912.5 feet.
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