There are growing concerns about what B.C.’s summer outlook could mean for the environment, as those in the field warn of dire consequences.
On Tuesday, government officials released their plan to deal with wildfires and drought, adding the Southern Interior and South Coast are expected to be hit hard.
They confirmed things are changing drastically as climate change tightens its grip on B.C.
BC Wildfire Predictive Services Unit superintendent Neal McLoughlin says current drought conditions are similar to those in 2017, 2018, and 2021, when intense wildfires were recorded in the Southern and Central Interior.
“Long-term precipitation deficits have created above-average drought conditions in the Chilcotin, Lower Thompson, Okanagan, Vancouver Island, and Northeast regions of B.C.,” he said.
“The amount of rain required to mitigate these regions experiencing persistent multi-year drought is unlikely this summer. Fire activity is expected to peak through July and August resulting in vigorous and difficult-to-control wildfires throughout the Central and Southern Interior and South Coast.”
Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar issued a similar warning.
“Warmth is expected to translate into above average temperatures throughout the next two months,” said Parmar.
“These conditions on top of the ongoing drought are setting us for an increase in wildfire activity as we enter the core of our wildfire season.”
These concerns are also echoed by Dave Campbell with the River Forecast Centre, who points to numbers as recent as June 11.
“Our current drought levels across the province, we’re seeing about a little over 25 per cent of the province area now in elevated drought levels.”
Aaron Hill, executive director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, tells 1130 NewsRadio the impact of all this will be strong and felt province-wide this summer.
“Several basins across the province are already at drought level four out of five, and a lot of snowpack has already melted away. Hopefully we get more rain than we’re expecting over the summer, but it could be a tough one.”
He warns with snowpacks melting and no significant precipitation coming, this could lead to fish dying.
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“In places that are facing water scarcity, which is a lot of communities across the province, that could mean non-essential users, including some commercial users, getting their water shut off if things get too tight. It could mean water getting so low in our streams and rivers that fish die. We’ve seen some pretty massive fish kills in some places over the last few years and, generally, tough water restrictions for folks. There’s a lot at stake here.”
For the first time in about a decade, Metro Vancouver entered Stage 3 water restrictions just last week.
“It could mean water getting so low in our streams and rivers that fish die.”
Hill warns there’s also a potential consequence for the economy.
“We could see fishing closure to protect fish. We could see ranchers and farmers having impacts, losing crops, other businesses getting shut off. We saw that in 2022 when non-essential businesses like breweries and cement producers had to stop due to a lack of water supply.”
He’s pushing the government for more solutions beyond telling people to take shorter showers, avoid running the tap while brushing your teeth or keeping a jug in the fridge instead of turning on the faucet for cold water.
“We need local conservative projects at the community level… getting major industrial water users to be more accountable for the water they use. Projects to help keep more water on the land, like supporting farmers and building small-scale reservoirs, restoring wetlands, things like that. Capturing rainwater in our homes and knowing how much water is being used and keeping people honest about their water use through water metering.”
Hill says local governments also need more power.
“The most important thing is giving communities the tools they need to plan for drought and get ahead of it. I think everyone has a role to play. Individuals, small businesses, big businesses, everybody needs to be more careful about their water use, but most importantly, we need leadership from the provincial government to get conservation measures in place.”
–With files from Kyle Benning