Okanagan Basin Water Board fundraising for new tech to protect B.C. lakes
Published 12:12 pm Thursday, March 12, 2026
The Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) is seeking funds in order to research a new technology that would allow boat inspectors to easily detect invasive mussel-species.
A fundraiser, in partnership with OBWB, UBC Okanagan and the Rotaries of the Thompson Okanagan, is attempting to raise $100,000 to accelerate research into eDNA mussel-detection technology.
“This is an incredibly interesting project and really an incredible Okanagan community story,” said OBWB chair and Lake Country mayorBlair Ireland.
“The OBWB has been talking about (invasive mussels) for 15 years or more.”
Ireland is proud that research into this technology is being spearheaded in the Okanagan.
Invasive mussel species could drastically change the ecology of the Okanagan they reach the area, according to James Littley, chief operating officer of the OBWB.
“Razor sharp mussel shells could wash up on the beaches, people might be cutting their feet. The water quality would be completely different. The mussels can concentrate toxins in their flush and when they die off after about four years, they release these toxins,” Littley said.
He added that the toxins could lead to toxic algae blooms damaging the wildlife food chain.
“They could filter all of Okanagan Lake probably in about a week, and what that does is it takes all the nutrients from the food chain and starves native fish and redistributes it,” he said. “It completely changes all the conditions for native species.”
According to Littley, during B.C.’s most active boating year, B.C. inspected 50,000 boats. Still, he suspects there are thousands more that don’t get inspected.
During the 2025 boating season, the B.C. government said six vessels were confirmed to be contaminated with invasive mussels. Littley said that from 2015, the Province has confirmed that more than 175 boats have been caught with invasive mussels.
Currently, invasive mussels are found mostly by human inspection, which is about 75 per cent effective at catching a mussel-contaminated boat according to Littley.
B.C. also utilizes two scent-detecting dogs which are more efficient, but are limited by their low numbers and allowed working hours.
This new technology, being researched by Dr. Michael Russello from UBC Okanagan, allows for defections of invasive mussel DNA in boats.
“This is actually a technology that is being developed for point of care health diagnostics, and it allows for highly sensitive detection of DNA of any particular, in the case of health, pathogens or disease. For us, we are harnessing it for ecological applications. So it will be able to detect invasive mussel DNA even in very low quantities,” Russello said.
“We’re working towards being able to apply this in a suitcase lab that could be deployed by inspectors at borders and incoming areas into the province.”
The “suitcase lab” would be a portable device that would vacuum sample and quickly analyze boats.
Russello said the threats of invasive mussels come from east and south of the Okanagan.
In a release by the OBWB, the organization said that invasive mussels could cause hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure damage water systems, irrigation works, marinas and beaches.
It also said that specific invasive mussel species, such as zebra, quagga and golden mussels have infested themselves in water bodies across North America. The government of Canada says invasive mussels have been found in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and most recently Manitoba in 2023. The federal government also says 34 U.S. states have found invasive mussels species.
Littley said most of the funding for the project’s research has been secured. The OBWB is committing $200,000 and the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation is committing $100,000. Non-for-profit organization Mitacs is also pledging $75,000.
Colin Pritchard of the Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation is calling on the community to support the research.
“Rotarians have always stepped up when something truly matters – and nothing matters more than protecting the water that sustains our communities. This challenge gift isn’t just a donation; it’s an invitation. I’m asking my fellow Rotarians, along with local businesses and everyone who loves this valley to help finish what we’ve started. Together, we can give British Columbia and beyond the tools needed to defend our lakes and rivers for generations to come,” he said.
