CITY HALL – Grants for study of climate change impact on water infrastructure
North Thompson River. (Image: Mel Rothenburger.
The City of Kamloops has acquired more than half a million dollars in grant funding to support climate change adaptation work in the Thompson River watershed.
The City received a $400,000 grant through the Disaster Resilience and Innovation Fund to support the development of the Thompson River Watershed Climate Adaptation Plan.
The plan will guide the City in adapting to future impacts from climate change and prolonged low-flow conditions, which are becoming increasingly common during summer months, according to a news release. The plan will also integrate previous hazard mapping and technical assessments of key river crossings and intake structures.
An additional $150,000 grant was received through the Disaster Risk Reduction – Climate Adaptation funding stream, as part of the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund, for the Watershed Climate Change Adaptation Study.
The project will focus on conducting a detailed examination of declining river levels in the Thompson River watershed and how those changes affect community infrastructure, including the City’s primary and emergency water intakes, effluent outfalls, and multiple water and wastewater mains.
Both funds provide support to First Nations and local governments for projects that will enhance their ability to withstand and adapt to natural hazards and climate-caused disasters.
River levels in the Thompson Rivers and Kamloops Lake have gradually decreased. Those levels impact water supply, flood risk, and habitat, and decreasing river levels could affect the City’s and Tḱemlúps te Secwépemc’s potable water supplies.
Climate-related challenges, such as lower streamflows from July through September, are occurring more frequently. These conditions have made it increasingly difficult to reliably access water, putting essential services at risk. If unaddressed, the impacts could include:
- reduced fire protection capacity
- limited potable, irrigation, industrial, and institutional water services
ArmchairMayor.ca 
This is getting stout now. Noble creek water gets the axe. Rayleigh got no help building its water plant. The city will do nothing to admit how much water the pulp mill uses and now the sewer and water upgrades for increasing density without property taxes attached will be borne by the people who gain nothing and in fact are getting screwed by the city. Also it turns out that the planned bio fuel plant on the reserve will possibly, read probably,use sewage sludge for feedstock. No mention of water consumption there.Wonderful. Maybe the place to build it should be up near Iron mask road as it is just a round the corner from the sewage plant
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