Drought conditions at highest level in parts of B.C.
Leaders in British Columbia are sounding the alarm about looming water scarcity and future use restrictions as drought levels in parts of the province have been elevated to the most severe end of the scale.
Bowinn Ma, the minister of emergency management and climate readiness, along with representatives from the River Forecast Centre, the ministries of agriculture and forestry, and the B.C. Wildfire Service laid out the situation during a news conference Thursday.
According to a report from the River Forecast Centre, four out of 34 water basins are now at Drought Level 5 and 18 are at Level 4. The provincial scale goes from zero to five.
"That means over two-thirds of our water basins are in Level 4 or 5," said Ma. "We are anticipating a very serious drought season that will require action for everyone."
Basins experiencing Level 5 drought are located in Fort Nelson, Bulkley Lake and east and west Vancouver Island.
Due to the severity of the situation, Ma said she is speaking with local government authorities and First Nation leaders to encourage communities to escalate water use restrictions across the province and that "it is likely more restrictions are on the way."
"We need people to be calm, we need people to care about this, and we need people to conserve," said the minister.
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The report by hydrologist Jonathan Boyd says most of B.C. has received rainfall over the past year of between 40 and 85 per cent of annual average precipitation.
It says stream flows measured this week at some rivers on Vancouver Island and in northwestern B.C. are not only at the highest drought-level category, Level 5, other major rivers in the Interior and Kootenays are getting close.
Boyd said Metro Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast regions are already at Drought Level 4.
"It really started because of how dry it was [last] summer and fall, and we did experience some of the lowest flows in the province in the fall and winter that we've ever had," said Boyd.
People walk along the shore of Alouette Lake which has receded due to drought like conditions in Golden Ears Park in Maple Ridge, British Columbia on Tuesday, October 18, 2022. The province says data shows the drought situation in 2023 is more dire than last year. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
The B.C. government began sounding the alarm about summer drought and urging people to save water in June.
Earlier this week, Ma urged B.C. residents to take measures to conserve water, including watering lawns sparingly, taking shorter showers and only doing laundry with a full load.
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Premier David Eby and Ma have both said the situation is serious, and much of B.C. has never before experienced the current levels of drought this early in the summer.
Ecosystems and the economy are expected to feel the impacts, with the agriculture and oil and gas industry already feeling the brunt.
Water-intensive oil and gas operations have already had restrictions imposed on them by the B.C. Energy Regulator.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture said there will be challenges feeding cattle and is working with federal counterparts to assess the need and mobilize assistance.
Ma pleaded with all British Columbians Thursday to conserve water.
"I'm calling on everyone, including businesses, to follow water restrictions ... every drop counts."
This article was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from The Canadian Press.
