Sunshine Coast’s water supply ‘dire’ as drought hits B.C.

People in places such as Sechelt, on B.C.’s Sunshine Coast, could soon be in trouble.

The director of emergency operations for the Sunshine Coast Regional District says a prolonged stretch of dry weather has pushed the water supply to a dire level.

Remko Rosenboom says the region’s primary water source, the Chapman watershed, has almost dried up and has enough water to last until early November if it doesn’t get any rain.

Related Articles:

• Record-breaking October weather enjoyed by Metro Vancouver kayak business

• Unseasonal dry heat fueling wildfires across B.C.

• Where’s the rain? Vancouver on track for driest September in years

Rosenboom says the district is pulling water from two other alpine lakes, but those water levels are also lower than they’ve ever been.

Other regions experiencing severe drought include the Lower Mainland, all of Vancouver Island, and the Fort Nelson basin in northeastern B.C.

The warning comes as the Metro Vancouver region only saw about seven millimetres of rain in September, significantly less than the average of 51 millimetres for the month.

As of Sept. 22, both the Lower Mainland and Sunshine Coast basins have a drought level of four out of five.