Drought conditions bumped up for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands
Posted May 30, 2016 1:52 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – It’s the first indication from the province we are heading back into a drought. People on Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands are being urged to conserve water.
Without the spring rain expected, those living in areas like Southern Vancouver Island, Campbell River, Tofino and the Gulf Islands are being asked to voluntarily reduce water consumption by about 30 per cent.
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Water Manage, Valerie Cameron, suggests cutting your shower short, limiting your outdoor watering and installing low flow toilets. “So we have had a very dry April and pretty dry May and these streams have not been recharged. Also, the aquifers that are supported within those watersheds are also dry as well so stream levels are going down and causing some stresses for fish, ecosystems and some of the water users.”
“What we are doing at level three right now is saying, ‘Hey folks, heads up. Things are getting dry, start to cut back on your water use to prolong your water supplies.’ If we get to level four, we are going to have some different messaging.”
Stage 1 water restrictions are in place for Metro Vancouver.
