B.C. is asking you to conserve water in anticipation of drought conditions
Posted June 23, 2023 2:13 pm.
With temperatures rising and dry conditions expected throughout B.C., the province is urging people and businesses to conserve water in anticipation of potential drought conditions this summer.
In a plea to the public, the B.C. government says while recent wet weather has provided relief in some areas, not nearly enough rain has fallen to make up for the lack of precipitation in previous months.
“The increased flows that are present in some streams and river systems are likely to be short-lived,” the province said in a release Friday.
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“Everyone is responsible to do their part to conserve water and reduce the risk of negatively affecting the environment and other water users.”
The province warns that if conservation efforts don’t “achieve sufficient results” and if drought conditions worsen, more action may be taken in the form of temporary protection orders “issued to water licensees to support drinking water for communities.”
As of June 23, the Lower Mainland basin was listed as being in “Drought Level 3,” which means “conditions are becoming severely dry,” with “potentially serious ecosystem or socio-economic impacts are possible in some circumstances.”
A map of drought levels in B.C. from June 23, 2023. The Lower Mainland basin was listed as being in Drought Level 3 on Friday. (Courtesy B.C. Government)
At the same time, three areas of the province — East Peace, Fort Nelson, and Finlay — were listed under “Drought Level 4,” which denotes when “conditions are extremely dry and adverse impacts to socio-economic or ecosystem values are likely.”
People can conserve water in several different ways, including limiting outdoor watering of things like lawns, not watering when it’s hottest out or windy, taking shorter showers and not leaving taps running.
