Thursday, April 23, 2026
The District of Lake Country, B.C. is set to start work on Phase 3 of the Beaver Lake Chain and Vernon Creek water management plan with funding focused on enhanced water supply and management.
The province of British Columbia’s ministry of agriculture and food through the Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program which aims to increase the use of efficient irrigation infrastructure and improve agricultural water supply and management in British Columbia, a District of Lake Country release said.
“Our top priority is to maintain sustainable water flows for the aquatic habitat in Middle Vernon Creek while also safeguarding the community’s water needs. It’s crucial that we support the creation and restoration of healthy ecosystems for future generations. This funding reflects the Province and the District’s shared commitment to protecting the environment and securing a reliable water supply for the future,” Lake Country mayor Blair Ireland said.
The overarching objective of the Water Management Plan is to provide reliable Environmental Flow Needs (EFN) in Middle Vernon Creek, without jeopardizing the community water availability in a multi-year drought, the release said. The plan has been developed in three phases:
- Phase: defining challenges and concerns within the multi-jurisdictional waterway.
- Phase 2: potential solutions and engaging stakeholders.
- Phase 3: will conduct feasibility and environmental studies on the proposed solutions identified in Phase 2.
A challenge for the project is that Duck Lake drops below its outlet level into Middle Vernon Creek during the summer due to evapotranspiration and agricultural withdrawals, causing the creek to nearly dry up, the release said.
To compensate the district must release large volumes of water from Beaver Lake to refill Duck Lake until it reaches the outlet level, reestablishing environmental flows in Middle Vernon Creek. However, these releases make the District’s Beaver Lake supply more vulnerable to multi-year droughts.
“Resolving this issue is critical to protecting the community’s water supply. The District and residents are committed to environmental stewardship and are confident that this can be achieved without compromising water availability, even during a multi-year drought,” District of Lake Country capital projects manager Kiel Wilkie said.
