Peachland POST YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
The week of July 10, 2026
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES Good for the body and the planet P.8
POLLUTION REDUCTION Part four in the Peachland Climate Action Plan series P.3
SECONDARY SOURCES
Expanded reservoir, Okanagan Lake are future options for Peachland water By Jeff McDonald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Visit our website at peachlandpost.org • Vol. 2 Issue 27
ABOUT TOWN Find out what’s going on and where it’s happening P.11
JULIA DEBOLT
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WATER WATER everywhere?
P
eachland doesn’t have a water problem, right? There’s a vast watershed above the town and a lake 160 kilometres long at our feet, right? Only two years ago, a District-commissioned report by Urban Systems pegged population growth, not climate change, as the biggest water challenge facing Peachland. Annual reservoir shortfalls driven by climate change “are expected by the 2060s,” said the April 2024 report called Peachland Water Creek Supply Under Future Climate Assessment. But the current drought appears to be turning that timeline upside down. And District council and staff are paying attention to discussions in Peachland about the town’s ability to provide treated water to residents now, let alone as the town grows. Peachland’s water treatment plant draws water from Peachland Creek, which is fed by Peachland Lake, which dropped to critically low levels this year after several years of drought. So what happens if the lake level and creek flow drops permanently driven by climate change? How does the town deal with that threat even as it promotes new development projects that would bring more people here? The town is considering options to increase the resiliency of its water supply, both short-term and long-term. More on that below. But first, consider population growth. As most Peachlanders know, New Monaco’s proposed project would see 2,500 new homes between Highway 97 and Okanagan Lake. And Romspen is proposing 445 homes
Photo: Alex Morrison
Peachland Lake is the primary source of water for the District of Peachland. This photo was taken at the end of April, 2026.
and a golf course off Ponderosa Drive. Announced years ago, those projects would have doubled Peachland’s population when fully built. But New Monaco hasn’t broken ground and Ponderosa has only seen about 45 homes built. Other smaller residential developments have been approved, but not yet built or sold, so it’s fair to say that Peachland’s population is unlikely to see sudden major increases. But the town is growing. The draft Official Community Plan (OCP) update that went to council earlier this week notes while the rate of population growth is projected to drop, Peachland will grow to 6,623 persons by 2044. So, it’s climate change rather than population growth driving District concerns about water. The
capacity of the water treatment plant is also not a current concern for District staff. Peachland’s director of engineering Jason Sandberg said in an email that if New Monaco and Ponderosa developments go ahead, it’s not the water treatment plant capacity that is the risk, it’s the reliability of source water from upland reservoirs. “The treatment plant has planned expansions as the community grows, planned expansions are 100 per cent funded by new development through the DCC program and they will accommodate those developments as necessary.” Sandberg said the town is prepared for the short-term possibility that Peachland Creek and Trepanier Creek watersheds, with climate SEE WATER PAGE 7