Water Conservation Essential As Drought Penetrates Southern B.C.

Kelowna aside, much of the southwest half of the province has moved into a level four drought classification.

From the South Coast moving east to South Thompson and down through the Kettle and Nicola Valleys, residents are dealing with extremely dry conditions and low streamflow.

Only two weeks ago, British Columbia's drought was contained to Vancouver Island.

Photo Credit: River Forecast Centre.

The Nicola Valley and Similkameen regions have been under a low streamflow advisory for the last several weeks, and now severe drought conditions have infiltrated the South Thompson and Kettle Valley.

Most areas in the South Okanagan and Southern B.C. range between 21 and 50 per cent of the average streamflow. However, several areas nearby the Tulameen, Coldwater, Cayoosh, and Nicola Rivers have reached an alarming low of only 20 per cent of the average streamflow.

A level four drought rating essentially means that the water supply in that area is insufficient to meet the needs of both the public and ecosystems, should severe drought conditions persist.

In some cases, regulated restrictions are implemented throughout jurisdictions to conserve water.

Kelowna has managed to bypass the level four drought rating. However, how long Kelowna can manage to remain at level three is questionable, as our City and much of the Valley are quite literally surrounded by drought.

At this time, Kelowna has not implemented any water use restrictions. However, both the City of Kelowna and the Okanagan Basin Water Board are urging residents to be proactive and conserve as much water as possible.

Should Kelowna reach a level four drought status, local water irrigation suppliers have devised a drought plan to weather the storm.