Kelowna, B.C. – As the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) watches the fall-out of the discovery of invasive mussels in Montana, only a few hours’ drive from B.C., and with news that the B.C. Government is getting ready to announce its latest budget, the board is calling on the province to include proper mussel prevention funding.
The call comes in a letter sent to B.C.’s Minister of Environment Mary Polak, and cc’ed to Premier Christy Clark, Finance Minister Mike DeJong and others, by the OBWB’s new chair Tracy Gray. “We urge you to immediately allocate permanent, sufficient funding for an expanded inspection and decontamination program, starting with this year’s provincial budget,” states Gray. “Prevention now will be far more cost-effective than dealing with a wide spread infestation.”