Welcoming input on watershed plan

DUNCAN -

Summary

• The B.C. government and Cowichan Tribes are leading the development of a Xwulqw'selu (Koksilah) Watershed and Water Sustainability Plan
• Members of the public are invited to an open house from 3-6 p.m. on March 11, 2026, to learn more about the planning process and to provide input to guide long-term approaches to water supply and ecosystem health in the area
• The Province and Cowichan Tribes are also conducting a survey until March 15, 2026, to gather insights from community members, water users, farmers, industry and other interested parties

__________

Members of the public are invited to an open house to learn about the development of a Xwulqw'selu (Koksilah) Watershed and Water Sustainability Plan, and provide input to help guide long-term approaches to water supply and ecosystem health in the area.

The open house will take place on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, from 3-6 p.m. at The Hub at Cowichan Station, 2375 Koksilah Road in the Cowichan Valley.

The B.C. government and Cowichan Tribes are leading the development of the plan, building on several years of engagement with community members, farmers and industry through local advisory tables, such as the Cowichan Tribes Guidance Group and the Community Collaborative Advisory Table.

This project has been supported by the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food to gather and analyze information and develop options related to water allocation, watershed restoration priorities and land-use recommendations.

Engaging with the community

Ongoing community engagement on this planning project includes regular meetings of the Community Collaborative Advisory Table (with input from local public interest groups) and the Cowichan Tribes Guidance Group. Members of the Cowichan Tribes and the community at large have also been engaged, including the distribution of newsletters that provide updates about the project's progress.

In addition, a series of targeted engagement sessions have been held with representatives of key economic sectors, such as forestry and agriculture. All water licensees in the planning area have also been notified about this process.

Since the fall of 2025, the Province and Cowichan Tribes have been conducting a survey to gather insights from community members, water users, farmers, industry and other interested parties about their visions for the future of the Xwulqw'selu (Koksilah) watershed, asking respondents for their thoughts on local water needs, potential approaches to increase summer water flows and other topics related to the watershed's stewardship.

The public can continue to participate in this survey until March 15, 2026, at: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50428843/XWSP-Community-Survey-2025

Have your say in person

The format of the March 11 open house includes stations hosted by staff from the Province and Cowichan Tribeswho have process and technical expertise to share information and respond to questions, as well as a support team responsible for documenting input from the public.

A "what we heard" report will subsequently be made available and will cover engagement efforts completed for this project. Feedback gathered from the survey, the open house and other engagement opportunities will help inform the recommendations to be included in the draft of the final plan.

Learn More:

• Additional information about the development of the Xwulqw'selu (Koksilah) Watershed and Water Sustainability Plan is available online: https://www.koksilahwater.ca/
• Project survey: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50428843/XWSP-Community-Survey-2025
• The survey was announced in an information bulletin distributed on Sept. 18, 2025: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2025WLRS0038-000893
• Note: People have been participating in the survey since theSept. 18, 2025, information bulletin was released. The open house mentioned in that information bulletin was delayed, so the survey's end date was extended to March 15, 2026. The March 11 open house is an opportunity to share information about the planning process with the community and gather in-person feedback.