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Bad news: I just got a forwarded email from the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Cultural Development that the RDOS application for a Towns for Tomorrow grant was not approved (see previous update). We plan to appeal with Minister Chong because we believe that we originally had ministry support for this project. We will let you know if we have any success with this.

The good news is that the heavy run-off seems to have resulted in substantial recharge to the aquifer.  Although it is not high by historical standards, it buys us some time to continue looking for ways to get reliable water to Faulder.

One possibility that has been mentioned in the past is a prison in an unpopulated area between Summerland and Faulder.  It is clear (and has been clear for some time) that the majority of Okanagan residents do not want a prison, at least not within the boundaries of Penticton or Summerland.  A rural prison may or may not be a different story. Naturally, the prison in such a location would require reliable water (most likely supplied by Summerland), so possibilities for cost sharing could exist.

All this is very speculative at this point (who knows what the Province is thinking on this matter), but am looking for some feedback regarding whether to investigate the prison idea further or drop it right now.  Please let me know what you are thinking using the comment feature below or at mbrydon@rdos.bc.ca