The Province is urging people in British Columbia to conserve water over the coming weeks as forecasts suggest much of the province will experience elevated drought conditions.
“Saving water and responding to drought is a shared responsibility, and we know that early action can make a big difference, especially when we work together,” said Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.
“The Province is doing our part to ensure communities and farmers are prepared, and we are working with large water users to reduce their water use. This is especially critical in high-risk watersheds that support fish populations or are at risk of long-term harm.”
Voluntary reduction and water-conservation measures and changes in weather, including significant rainfall, can play a critical role in maintaining stream flows.
In some communities, residential water use makes up as much as 70% of total use during the summer months.
While recent rains provided relief for some regions in B.C., particularly the Fort Nelson area, it has not been enough to overcome limited rain from previous months.
Additional efforts include a $100-million Watershed Security Fund to support local water projects that build drought resilience and more than $100 million through the Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program to help farmers and communities build better water storage and delivery systems, as well as more funding for emergency response and community planning to better manage water shortages when they happen.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2021, the average person in B.C. used 286 litres of water a day, 63 litres more than the Canadian average.
To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.
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