Drought escalates to highest level in parts of B.C. as leaders urge water conservation | CBC News

Leaders in British Columbia are sounding the alarm about looming water scarcity as parts of the province have now had their drought levels escalated to the most severe end of the scale.

According to Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, four out of 34 water basins are now at Level 5 and 18 are at Level 4. The provincial scale goes from zero to five.

“That means over two-thirds of our water basins are in Level 4 or 5,” said Ma during a media briefing Thursday, urging residents to conserve water.

“We are anticipating a very serious drought season that will require action for everyone.”

Basins experiencing Level 5 drought are located in Fort Nelson, Bulkley Lake and east and west Vancouver Island.

EARLIER STORY:

Bowinn Ma, minister of emergency management and climate readiness, is expected to speak at 11:30 a.m. PT. Ma will be joined by representatives from the River Forecast Centre, the ministries of agriculture and forestry, and the B.C. Wildfire Service.

The update comes as half of B.C.’s water basins sit at Level 4 drought, where Level 5 is the worst.

With the lack of rain and record-breaking temperatures in some areas, B.C. is also facing a record-breaking wildfire season.

On Monday, the province announced a state of emergency for the Stikine region due to wildfires, along with a campfire ban for the entire province except for Haida Gwaii.

WATCH | Learn more about the dire drought situation in B.C.:

Why is B.C. issuing drought warnings for parts of the province?

CBC’s municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy sat down with science and climate specialist Darius Mahdavi, to learn more about why the province may be in for its hottest summer on record.

The B.C. government began sounding the alarm about summer drought and urging people to save water in June. 

Paul Pryce, the director of policy for the B.C. Agriculture Council, said last month that industry members across the province have been seeing drought conditions pop up earlier in the year, including in the growing season.

“And so that really has a severe effect when it comes to agriculture producers, just because there’s that uncertainty very early in the growing season as to whether or not you’re going to be able to see things through to the end of the year, whether or not your livelihood is going to be affected by these severe climate conditions,” Pryce said.

Pryce said the agricultural sector is working with the provincial government on tools to ensure they’re properly measuring water use to establish a reliable water supply for farmers. 

He said he’s hoping to hear that the province will invest more in tools to help farmers with on-site water storage.