Canada’s National Observer - Extended nightmarish drought strains British Columbia water systems
“The climate crisis is a water crisis, and how it shows up is either we have way too much water or we don’t have enough water.”
Illustration by Ata Ojani/National Observer
This recent article highlights the severity of British Columbia’s extended drought, which has pushed the province's water systems to the brink. Despite some recent rainfall, less than a tenth of B.C. has enough water to sustain municipal drinking water systems, agriculture, hydroelectric power, and freshwater ecosystems. The drought, which has persisted for nearly a year and has been exacerbated by record heat and unusually low snow levels, stretches from the Lower Mainland to northern B.C., straining resources across communities and farms.
Vancouver Island and the northern Peace region are particularly hard-hit, with officials reporting level four and five droughts—the most severe classifications. Coree Tull, co-chair of the B.C. Watershed Security Coalition, emphasizes the unprecedented nature of this crisis, stating, "The climate crisis is a water crisis, and how it shows up is either we have way too much water or we don't have enough water." Tull notes that while droughts have occurred before, this is the first time the entire province has been affected simultaneously. The situation on Vancouver Island is especially dire, with almost the entire region experiencing stage five drought, leaving communities unable to rely on better-resourced neighbors for water.
The impacts extend beyond drinking water, affecting food production, electricity generation, and increasing the risk of wildfires. East Kootenay rancher Dave Zehnder experienced this firsthand when a fire broke out on his property, threatening his timber lot and the surrounding community watershed. Meanwhile, salmon populations are also at risk as low water levels and warmer temperatures hinder their ability to spawn.
Tull argues that more proactive measures are needed to manage B.C.'s water resources effectively. She challenges the "myth of abundance" that B.C. has plenty of water, warning that "we still have enough water in British Columbia – but we need to manage it better." Unlike most Canadian provinces, B.C. does not require municipalities to meter their water usage, leading to potential waste. Tull advocates for better monitoring of industrial water users, building more water storage reservoirs, and enhancing wetlands to increase water storage in the environment. The B.C. Watershed Security Coalition is calling for a billion-dollar endowment to fund these pre-emptive drought mitigation efforts, allowing communities to better conserve and store water.
While the B.C. government has invested $788 million in drought-related programs over the past three years, Tull emphasizes the need for a more coordinated and preventative approach. As British Columbia faces this escalating water crisis, ongoing initiatives like the Canada1Water project (C1W) play a crucial role in providing the research and data needed for informed resource management. By quantifying the effects of climate change on Canada’s water resources, the C1W project offers valuable insights that can help decision-makers develop strategies to address water shortages and ensure the sustainability of water systems across the country.
Click here to read the article at Canada’s National Observer
“There’s this myth of abundance that we’ve got all this water and we don’t have to worry about it. What I would say is that we still have enough water in British Columbia – but we need to manage it better.”