Despite a wet spring, continuing dry conditions have led the province to urge people in the Southern Interior to conserve water.
On Friday, the province increased the drought level for the Similkameen watershed to Level 4, while the Okanagan watershed is at Level 3.
A Level 4 drought rating calls for maximum reduction of water use, while a Level 3 drought rating calls for reducing water use by 30 per cent. Level 3 is considered “very dry conditions” while Level 4 is considered extreme.
With continued warm, dry weather in the forecast, stream flows are expected to continue to drop, providing additional stress for fish as well as reducing water supplies for water users, the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says in a news release.
In the Okanagan watershed, while some streams and lakes have adequate flows, a number of streams are experiencing low flows that are impacting water users and fish, including returning adult salmon, the ministry says.
In the Similkameen, conditions are extremely dry and stream flows are approaching critical environmental low flow thresholds for fish populations, including Chinook salmon.
As of Friday afternoon, the level of Osoyoos Lake as measured in Oroville, Washington, was at 911.7 feet above sea level, which is within its normal regulated rule curve for this time of year.
The Similkameen River measured at Nighthawk, Washington, however, was only discharging 255 cubic feet per second (cfs). By contrast, its discharge was at 19,200 cfs in early June during flood conditions.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
