Photo: Shuswap Watershed Council

2023 water quality grant recipient Shuswap Organics who used grant funding to introduce new regenerative agricultural practices

The Shuswap Watershed Council announced it has awarded more than $35,000 to local farms and landowners for this year's water quality grant program.

The grant program provides funding for farms, landowners and stewardship groups undertaking projects that will protect water quality in the Shuswap watershed with an emphasis on mitigating the risk of excess phosphorus in the water system.

“We are targeting phosphorus with our grant program,” said Erin Vieira, program manager for the SWC.

“Phosphorus is an important factor of water quality and soil health. It’s needed for agriculture, but when excessive amounts of it flow from the landscape into water it can trigger an algal bloom in the lake.

“Our goal with the grant program is to help farms and other land stewards keep nutrients on the land and in the soil, not running off or leaching into nearby watercourses."

Rhona Martin, SWC chair, said with the Shuswap’s rich agricultural heritage it’s important to support farms.

“Agriculture is a significant part of the economy here and contributes greatly to local food security,” she said. “We want to support farms as they adopt new and improved practices that protect our water quality.”

One of 2025’s grant recipients is Trinity Dairy in Enderby. This dairy farm is located along the Shuswap River, and plans to use grant funds to upgrade technology and nutrient management practices.

The SWC said these upgrades will allow for greater efficiency when applying nutrients to their croplands and reduce the risk of excessive nutrients leaching into the Shuswap River.

The other 2025 grant recipients include Westwold View Farms, Owendale Farms in Lumby, The Invasive Species Council of B.C., and a hobby farm in Scotch Creek.

This year the SWC awarded a total of $36,646 in grant funding.

“We are proud to support these innovative projects on farms to improve agricultural practices, build soil health, reduce the risk of nutrient run-off into the watershed and protect water quality,” Viera said. “It is inspiring to see our grant recipients working to protect the environment now and for the future.”

Since the water quality grant program began in 2020, the SWC has awarded 23 grants worth a total of $267,774.

The intake for the next round of water quality grants will open in November.