Current Challenges

Osoyoos Lake is a source of delight for residents and visitors alike, who enjoy boating, fishing, swimming and many other activities. Water from the lake irrigates major local industries such as vineyards and orchards and serves many other beneficial uses. However, in recent decades, several threats have emerged to our beloved lake that require action. Important concerns include:

Invasive Aquatic Species. Non-native animal and plant species often wreak havoc when they are introduced elsewhere. There are many examples of this potential threat here in B.C., including zebra, quagga and golden mussels, and other invasive species. There are also threats from parasites that have already established themselves in other waterways on B.C. including one that causes whirling disease in fish.

Although we have been able to protect Osoyoos Lake against many invasive species thus far, aquatic weeds such as milfoil and lake algae are established here and require regular mitigation by organizations such as the Okanagan Basin Water Board.

Invasive aquatic species pose a serious threat to our ecosystems, salmon populations, local infrastructure and more. They can cause ecological and economic damage, displace native aquatic plants and wildlife, degrade the environment and affect the quality of drinking water.

Climate Change. Data collected by OWLQS demonstrates that the average temperature of Osoyoos Lake has continued to increase in recent decades. This has already had significant environmental consequences.

Osoyoos Lake is a vital body of water for fish such as sockeye salmon and others that migrate annually from the Pacific, up the Columbia River in Washington State, and then north through the Okanagan Valley up to Okanagan Lake to spawn.

However, fish such as sockeye are extremely sensitive to water quality factors such as temperature, dissolved oxygen and more. Degradation of water quality in Osoyoos Lake in recent years has frequently resulted in reduced salmon runs, which has affected both sustenance and recreational fishing.

Habitat Degradation. As the resident and visitor population of Osoyoos has grown in recent decades, threats to habitats for native fish and wildlife have expanded accordingly. There is increased demand for irrigation, drinking and domestic water. Challenges to the lake environment include:

Inadequate water flows at times during droughts
Wakes and pollution coming from motorboats and other watercraft
Loss of natural lakeshore, riparian and wetlands habitats due to construction
Pollution from septic tanks, pesticides, water runoff, animal and human waste, and other waterborne and airborne sources