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Untitled design (18)

Untitled design (17)

Estuary Center

Hip to Fix a Drip

Kayakers with Dancing Fish

Koksilah interim Agreement

Nora Livingston & Wayne Paige Jr.

Boat on River

In Front of Cowichan Building

Debra at Estuary Center

Weir Ready Meeting

Wading in River

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CoChairs with Premier Eby March 22 2024_BHetschko

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RiverCleanup 2023_groupshot_OliPrice-1Mg

"Partnerships are so important. They build trust and understanding, which can open closed doors." -- Chief William Seymour, Cowichan Tribes, CWB Co-Chair (2018)

"Relationship-building takes time and sincere commitment, something I hope we can all commit to, as we create a community together. " -- Mayor Jon Lefebure, Cowichan Valley Regional District Chair, CWB Co-Chair (2018)

Cowichan Watershed Board members, partners, and staff at "Setting the Course" planning and governance workshop. Jan 2023. Photo B Hetschko

The Cowichan Watershed Board is a collaborative governance partnership between Cowichan Tribes First Nation, and the Cowichan Valley Regional District.  It exists to facilitate collaborative management and decision-making to protect and enhance the health of the whole of the Cowichan and Koksilah watersheds (collectively referred to as the Cowichan Watershed).

It does this by partnering with government agencies and stewardship organizations in the pursuit of seven "targets" for watershed health. The targets are aspirational goals originally derived from the Cowichan Basin Water Management Plan (the Plan), but since updated through an ongoing  review by the relevant Target Working Groups and the Board, incorporating consideration of subsequent plans and understandings. 

The Board is co-chaired by the Chief of Cowichan Tribes First Nation, and the Chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District.  Up to 14 additional members are appointed by the co-chairs according to  the member representation specified in the Governance Manual (see below).

The Board normally meets on the last Monday morning of every month. Locations vary, including online and in person venues, so please refer to the meeting agenda for the location that month. Click here for meeting agendas.

Mission Statement: We come together, with one heart and mind, to work for the health of the Cowichan-Koksilah watershed and the peoples who live here.

Mandate & Authority: The Board’s mandate is to provide leadership for sustainable water management to protect and enhance ecosystem health in the Cowichan Watershed guided by the Cowichan teaching: Muks ‘uw’slhilhukw’tul – We are all inter-connected.

Working in collaboration with Cowichan Tribes, CVRD, and the Provincial and Federal Governments, the Board shall promote wise water management practices throughout the watershed by:

● advocating for the well-being of the watershed;

● guiding and coordinating the implementation of the Targets

● providing timely, balanced and thoughtful advice to senior and local government authorities including First Nations;

● securing stable funding sources to support water management activities,

● engaging local stakeholders in water management decisions;

● involvement in data-gathering and monitoring the health of the watershed,

● providing and accessing specialised expertise and knowledge for sustainable water management in the Cowichan watershed; and,

● developing public outreach and extension tools to enhance watershed thinking and to increase residents’ understanding of water science, stewardship and management activities.

The Board recognizes that various levels of government exert authority to make management decisions within the Cowichan Watershed including Cowichan Tribes, CVRD, the Province and the Federal Government. The Board provides a space for people to come together with their respective authorities, integrity and humanity; in the spirit of Nutsamat (one heart, one mind), to share information, make consensus recommendations and/or commitments; and then work to implement those recommendations and commitments within their own organisations with their own authorities.

Priority Projects

Quw'utsun Community member in dry Cowichan River Bed. Photo: P Jefferson

Cowichan Lake Weir:

In 2019, the Board set its top priority as addressing the growing need for increased water storage in Cowichan Lake to mitigate the low river flows during longer, drier summer/fall seasons now common in our changing climate.  Working closely with Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society, the Board has been working to improve public understanding of the issues, the consensus to start planning for a new weir, and the consequences of doing nothing. Please see our Weir Ready project page for more, or visit the CVRD's project website www.cowichanlakeweir.ca 

Chief Lydia Hwitsum and Minister Nathan Cullen sign S-xats-thut tst (We agree.) May 2023. Photo by Genevieve Singleton

 Xwulqw'selu Watershed Planning

Another priority project of the Board over the past few years has been to support Cowichan Tribes and the Province of BC in the scoping and planning for a Watershed Sustainability Plan to address water challenges in the Xwulqw'selu/ Koksilah watershed. For more on this, please visit the Xwulqw'selu Watershed Planning project website: koksilahwater.ca  This is a co-governed process by Cowichan Tribes and the Province to plan to "take good care of the Waters and the Earth connected to the Koksilah River." This plan is intended to include the province’s first Water Sustainability Plan developed under the Water Sustainability Act, and will address the ‘whole of watershed’ needs – those of the flora, fauna, land, and the communities that depend on the watershed – in the development of long-term water solutions.  Read the media release about the May 12 2023 Agreement here.