The Shuswap Watershed Council (SWC) announced its application period for funding up to $15,000 for farmers and other large landholders.
The SWC’s Water Quality Grant Program was first launched in 2020. The purpose of the program is to provide financial assistance for projects to improve nutrient management and reduce the amount of nutrients that wash off soils into nearby creeks, rivers, and lakes within the Shuswap watershed.
The SWC mentioned they are offering financial support specifically for nutrients because they are an essential part of any ecosystem.
“In an aquatic system like Shuswap Lake, they are the basis of the food chain for algae, plants, invertebrates (insects), and fish,” the SWC said. “However, if too many nutrients, especially phosphorus, flow into a lake, it can trigger an algal bloom which in turn reduces the quality of water for drinking and recreation, creates odours, and can even be toxic to people, pets and livestock.”
The goal of the grant program is to work with farms and other partners to stop the flow of phosphorus-rich waters and effluent, thereby keeping nutrients in the soil, preventing them from entering rivers and lakes, where they could contribute to water quality concerns.
The SWC collaborated with researchers at UBC Okanagan from 2016 to 2021 to form a deeper understanding of nutrients in the Shuswap watershed.
“By retaining nutrients in soils, and preventing their movement to nearby watercourses, a win-win situation is created for farms and for water quality,” read the council’s statement.
The grant program will be open for applications from Dec. 1, 2025, to Jan. 31, 2026. The council instructed prospective applicants to read the Grant Program Guide.
