Image Credit: CSRD

By Victor Kaisar

Shuswap Watershed Council

Efforts underway to persuade CSRD, City of Salmon Arm to rejoin Shuswap Watershed Council

Aug 16, 2025 | 3:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Shuswap Watershed Council is working to try and convince a pair of former members to rejoin the group, a little over a year after they chose to leave.

That’s according to Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Director Stephen Karpuk, who serves as vice-chair of the non-profit group.

Karpuk said the Shuswap Watershed Council hopes to convince the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and the City of Salmon Arm to rejoin the group that is focused on protecting, maintaining and enhancing water quality and safe recreation in the Shuswap.

“We have rejigged the strategic plan or are in the process of doing that with the Shuswap Watershed Council,” Karpuk said at the Aug. 14 TNRD meeting. “This is part of the Fraser Basin Council and we’re looking at not water as just a quality but also in quantity as we’re looking at changes across the landscape.”

CSRD residents voted to end funding for the group in February last year, and the City of Salmon Arm followed suit in April. But the Shuswap Watershed Council thinks they might be able to persuade the two local governments to return to the table and advocate for the Shuswap watershed.

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“There is an opportunity to look at how we’re monitoring and with reflection back to when we had a recent meeting with our MPs, we think we can do equitable funding requests that we’re not getting,” Karpuk added.

“Most of the funding for invasive species is going out to Eastern Canada and specifically the Great Lakes, and as much as they’re a big body of water, we also have watersheds that need to be protected out here too.”

The Shuswap Watershed Council is currently comprised of members from the TNRD, the Regional District of North Okanagan, the Adams Lake Band, Splatsin te Secwépemc, and the District of Sicamous. It also includes representatives from three Provincial government agencies and a number of community representatives.

According to Karpuk, the Shuswap Watershed Council is expected to make its pitch to the CSRD and Salmon Arm early next month.

“Hopefully we’re successful in getting them to join in our advocacy to make sure that our region is well represented in water quality and quantity issues,” Karpuk added.

“We think that with the right information we can persuade [the CSRD and Salmon Arm] to rejoin us in advocacy for not only the invasive species, but also water safety which here in the City of Kamloops has been top of mind with some recent drownings.”