The British Columbia government is reporting that drought conditions are affecting many streams and rivers across the southern half of the province, particularly Vancouver Island and south Okanagan.
The Coldwater River watershed near Merritt is at Drought Level 4 (extremely dry) and Eastern Vancouver Island is at Drought Level 3 (very dry).
The ministry is urging water conservation due to the drought conditions, with maximum water conservation for all areas where low flows are approaching a critical environmental flow threshold for ecosystems and fish.
The government said residential, agricultural and industrial water users in areas affected by drought should observe all water conservation bylaws, watering restrictions and advice from their local government, irrigation district or water utility.
The province has released the following general water conservation tips:
At home:
- Limit outdoor watering.
- Do not water during the heat of the day or when it is windy.
- Consider planting drought-tolerant vegetation.
- Take shorter showers.
- Do not leave taps running.
- Install water-efficient showerheads, taps and toilets.
On the farm:
- Implement an irrigation scheduling program using real-time weather data.
- Schedule irrigation to match crop needs and soil storage capacity.
- Improve water system efficiencies and check for leaks.
- Focus on high-value crops and livestock.
Industry:
- Reduce non-essential water use.
- Recycle water used in industrial operations.
- Use water-efficient methods and equipment.
A map of drought conditions in B.C. can be found here.
And more B.C. drought information can be found here.
CHEK News
