GREATER VERNON WATER FACT SHEET HOW TO ACCESS YOUR ONLINE AGRICULTURAL WATER USE INFORMATION VIA

Transcription

1 GREATER VERNON WATER FACT SHEET HOW TO ACCESS YOUR ONLINE AGRICULTURAL WATER USE INFORMATION VIA 1. REGISTER To maintain your privacy, customers must register to see their property and water use information. Go to and click on the Register link as shown circled in red below. Type in your name, address, and phone number in the appropriate boxes mid page. Then, click in the Search detail box to type in your address. As you type, a blue box will appear with a list of addresses to chose from, as shown in the above example for a property Page 1 of 8

2 off Old Kamloops RD. Click on the appropriate address to select it as your property. If your property doesn t appear, it may be recorded in a slightly different format, as seen here where no house number is listed, so you could try some variations or call the RDNO for assistance. If you have more than one property, you will need to register each separately. When you have filled in this information, click on the Submit Application box at the bottom of the page and an will be sent to RDNO staff to approve your access. This ensures that your property information is only available to you. You will then get two s back - one to let you know the application was sent and a second when access is approved. 2. COMPLETE REGISTRATION AND CREATE PASSWORD You ll receive an similar to the one shown here, asking you to click on a link to set up your password. The link will take you here: Page 2 of 8

3 3. LOG IN Use your and password to log in to OKIM by clicking on the LOGIN link. The address and password are case sensitive, so remember if you used CAPITALS. When logged in to the OKIM website, you will see a home screen like the one shown here. You will know you are logged in if you see your name listed under the tree in the top right corner of the page (circled in red here). Choose a password (at least 3 letters long) to use with your address to log in. 4. SEARCH FOR YOUR PROPERTY CONSUMPTION REPORT Move your mouse arrow over the My Consumption box (circled in green above). A drop down menu will appear, as shown below, with the choice of a Property Search or Watermeter Search - click on Property Search to see the water use report for your property. Page 3 of 8

4 The first page you will see after clicking on Property Search has a short description of your property(s) including the owner and address. There may be a list of multiple properties if you have more than one registered. Click on the Consumption link to the right of the property you want to view (circled in red below) to see your water use report. 5. READING YOUR WATER CONSUMPTION REPORT The OKIM website lists information about your property, including the type of crop farmed and the irrigation system used. There is an air photo showing the irrigated area shaded black over parts of the property (this image may take some time to load). Please check to make sure this area is shown correctly and that we have the correct crop and irrigation system on file. If there have been changes since this information was collected in 2006, please contact Jennifer Miles ( or jennifer.miles@rdno.ca) to get it updated in OKIM. Page 4 of 8

5 This image shows your property information, which is used by OKIM to determine how much water your crop needs based on soil type, plant species, and the irrigation system in use. Above this information is an air photo of your property generated by Google Earth. Page 5 of 8

6 6. ACTUAL WATER USE Your Water Consumption Report will show a table listing how much water was used so far this year in cubic meters (as shown on the water meter) and in other units like gallons. It also shows a graph of the actual amount of water used on your property plus a table showing how much water was used in previous years. Readings are taken approximately monthly, so if you are keeping track of the exact amount used each month, your records may differ slightly from what is calculated. 7. CALCULATED WATER REQUIREMENT Page 6 of 8

7 OKIM provides an estimate of how much water your crop required based on weather records and the property information listed above (soils, crop, and irrigation system). A graph and table show the recommended amount of water needed for your crop and can be used to inform future irrigation plans. While only 2011 and 2012 information is currently available, each year more information will be added and will provide a record of your farm s changing water needs. You may discover that you can reduce the amount of irrigation done in early spring or find that it s okay to cut back a bit during the summer months. Page 7 of 8

8 8. DAILY IRRIGATION PLANNING OKIM is a great tool for long term water use tracking. For those interested in getting a daily irrigation recommendation, visit the Irrigation Scheduling Calculator via the yellow calculator link on the OKIM home page: If you are interested in learning more about this tool, please contact Jennifer Miles at the RDNO at or jennifer.miles@rdno.ca. Page 8 of 8