Fraser Basin Council
Home  |  CONTACT US: Offices AND Staff  |  Site Map

Shuswap Watershed Council

NEW! Phosphorus Action Plan for the Shuswap watershed

Phosphorus Action PlanPhosphorus (P) is a non-replaceable, non-renewable mineral resource that is essential to many forms of life, and to the agriculture sector for food security. There is no substitute for it and it’s important for supporting a healthy ecosystem. But, when there are excessive amounts of phosphorus in aquatic environments it can increase algal growth, reduce water clarity, create odours, reduce the quality of water for drinking and recreation, and — in a worst-case scenario — form harmful algal blooms that are toxic to people, pets and livestock.

The purpose of the Phosphorus Action Plan is to provide guidance to everyone in the Shuswap on actions they can take to protect water quality by reducing the amount of phosphorus being released into the watershed. Additionally, the Plan summarizes the regulatory framework for P, because the use of phosphorus and the discharge of phosphorus-rich effluents is regulated in many ways. The provincial government has the most specific regulations to directly manage P and other nutrients, as well as regulating agriculture and resource management (e.g., forestry) activities in the watershed.

 

We are all stewards of the watershed, and we can all play a part in protecting our water quality whether we are:

  • working as agriculturalists or silviculturists
  • building or maintaining roads
  • tending to parks, lawns and gardens
  • choosing household products and minding what we flush down our drains
  • properly maintaining septic systems, and more

This Plan is for all of us!

READ THE PLAN

The Phosphorus Action Plan was featured in a SalmonSafe BC webinar in February 2023. Take a look!


 

Would you like to learn more? Check out this mini-report published by the Shuswap Watershed Council (2020): Understanding Nutrients and Water Quality in the Shuswap River and Salmon River

 Understanding Nutrients

Our Vision

Social well-being supported by a vibrant economy and sustained by a healthy environment.

About the Fraser Basin Council

The Fraser Basin Council (FBC) is a charitable non-profit organization that brings people together to advance sustainability in the Fraser River Basin and throughout BC. Established in 1997, FBC is a collaboration of four orders of government (federal, provincial, local and First Nations) along with those from the private sector and civil society. We work with people in multiple sectors, helping them find collaborative solutions to today’s issues through a commitment to the social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability. Our focus is on healthy water and watersheds, action on climate change and air quality and strong, resilient communities and regions.

FBC Project and
Partner Sites

Plug in BC:
www.pluginbc.ca

Emotive:
www.emotivebc.ca

ReTooling for Climate Change:
www.retooling.ca

FBC Youth:
fbcyouthprogram.ca

Climate Action Toolkit:
www.toolkit.bc.ca 

Salmon-Safe BC
www.salmonsafe.ca

Contact Us

FBC has offices in Vancouver, Kamloops, Williams Lake and Prince George. We also have staff located in Abbotsford and Vernon.

To reach us, see FBC Offices and FBC Staff.

Our main office is:

Fraser Basin Council
1st Floor, 470 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC V6C 1V5

T: 604 488-5350
F: 604 488-5351
E: 

We are grateful at the Fraser Basin Council Society to live and work on the unceded ancestral
territories of the Indigenous Nations of British Columbia.