Funded Projects

Raincoast Conservation Foundation is partnering with Scw’exmx Tribal Council on this project. Using methodology developed by the Okanagan Nation Alliance, this project will determine Environmental Flow Needs (EFN) criteria for three important salmon spawning and rearing streams in the Nicola River Watershed: Spius Creek, Lower Nicola River, and the Coldwater River.

EFN describes the flow requirements for a healthy stream ecosystem and is an evolving science that encompasses aspects of hydrology, ecology and Indigenous Knowledge. Field-based assessments of stream flows, aquatic habitat and riparian habitat will be conducted, coupled with interviews with Indigenous Knowledge-holders to gain a holistic picture of EFNs in the watershed. This data will be used to guide water conservation drought response, water allocation, habitat restoration, and watershed governance. This work is critically important following the November 2021 floods that dramatically altered stream habitat across the Nicola River Watershed. Ultimately, this project will serve as a foundation for future initiatives focused on drought resilience in the Nicola, including emerging work by the Nicola Watershed Governance project to determine cultural EFNs, which are the stream flow needs that can sustain both the aquatic ecosystem and Indigenous cultural, social, and spiritual values.