British Columbians are being urged to conserve water, with significant drought conditions already manifesting across the province.
Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Bowinn Ma made the plea Thursday during a briefing with the B.C. River Forecast Centre.
“While it is not uncommon for British Columbians to face droughts, the level and extent of drought that we are witnessing this early on in the season is deeply concerning,” Ma said.
“I am calling on everyone including businesses to follow water restrictions set by First Nations and local communities and take steps to conserve water even above and beyond those restrictions.
“Water is a precious resource and we are fortunate to have some of the best water in the world, every drop counts.”
British Columbia classifies drought conditions on a scale of one to five, with five meaning almost certain adverse effects on communities and ecosystems.
As of Thursday, four of B.C.’s 34 water basins were at Level 5: in the Fort Nelson, Bulkley Valley, West Vancouver Island and East Vancouver Island regions.
Another 18 were at Level 4, meaning two-thirds of the province’s water basins were ranked in the categories of most serious concern.
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River Forecast Centre hydrologist Johnathan Boyd said the roots of the province’s drought stretch back to this time last year, when after a cool spring precipitation dropped off steeply.
Over the last year, most of the province has seen less rainfall than usual, with precipitation between 40 and 85 per cent of historical averages.
The situation worsened amid record high temperatures in May, where much of the province saw daytime highs of up to 10 C above normal, he said.
“What that led to was the earliest melt of the mountain snowpack that we’ve seen,” Boyd said.
“We did have essentially near average snowpack in late April, and it was that incredible heat of May that initiated and triggered that rapid melt of the snowpack.”
The rapid and early melt of mountain snowpack has left streamflows in B.C. waterways far below historical averages, he said.
About a quarter of all of the forecast centre’s measuring stations measured streamflows at an all-time record low on July 10.
Another 187 stations, more than 50 per cent of those operated by the forecast centre, measured streamflows in the fifth percentile, he said.
“Having over half of the sites already below a one in 20-year drought is pretty extraordinary,” Boyd said.
Along with the areas in B.C. at drought Level 5, most of B.C.’s southeast, central and northeastern Interior and South Coast are at Level 4.
“What’s unusual this year is how early it is and how widespread it is,” Boyd said.
Ma said the province has already asked water licence holders to make voluntary reductions in their water usage, and said formal restrictions may yet be implemented.
The BC Energy Regulator has already issued and expanded water suspensions for oil and gas operators, she added.
Farmers are also being asked to carefully monitor and manage their water withdrawal, and conduct regular inspections of their systems.
The province is also “turning over every stone” to ensure there is a supply of feed for their livestock, she said, and is presenting a proposal to the federal government in the coming days to help support an agricultural recovery plan.
As for the general public, Ma urged people to take whatever steps they can to cut water use.
“That means thinking about small changes you can make in your daily routine, such as watering lawns sparingly if at all,” she said. “Taking shorter showers – you can save 19 litres of water for every minute you reduce a shower; only doing full loads of dishes or laundry – laundry uses up to 190 litres of water; and turning off the tap when brushing your teeth or shaving.”
You can find out more about the province’s drought situation and current conditions at B.C.’s Drought Information Portal.
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