Drought

News Release, CVRD, May 26, 2016

Duncan,  BC  –  April  showers  usually  bring  May  flowers,  but  this  year’s  hot,  dry  spring  has
brought drought conditions to the valley instead. The snowpack is melting rapidly, lake and river
levels are at record low levels, and the forecast is for a hot, dry summer. Now is the time for
residents throughout the Cowichan Valley to think seriously about water conservation.
 
Provincial drought levels are updated throughout the spring and summer based on measures

Robert Barron, Cowichan Valley Citizen, May 27, 2016

Unlike much of the rest of Vancouver Island, the Cowichan region is already experiencing drought conditions.

As of the middle of May, the region is at Level 3, or “very dry”, drought conditions, according to an analysis conducted by the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

The analysis, prepared by environmental analyst Jeff Moore, said the conclusions are the result of a number of indicators.

Susan Down, LocalEye.ca, May 23 2016

We like to count in the Cowichan Valley – salmon, raindrops, lake levels. After all, management guru Peter Drucker said that you can’t manage what you can’t measure.

But measuring is only half the job. Once they have the numbers, leaders can then decide which direction to take. In the CVRD, we should be acting, fast, to handle the drought conditions that could seriously harm our region.

James Goldie, Cowichan Valley Citizen, May 20, 2016

The Cowichan River is in danger of drying up this year, and Catalyst Paper Corporation, which controls the flow of water through the Cowichan Lake weir, has begun reducing the outflow of water in order to keep that from happening.

It may seem counter intuitive — reducing the flow of water out of the lake at a time when creeks and tributaries are already drying up — but if the outgoing water isn’t slowed down now, what’s held back by the weir in storage will be tapped out by the beginning of July.

Amy Smart, Times Colonist, July 19 2015

Cowichan Tribes Chief Chip Seymour has watched the once robust Cowichan River reduced to a mere stream.

Drought conditions are stranding salmon fry in warm pools, he said, and hampering mature chinook from completing their spring run up to Cowichan Lake.

“It’s hard to look at the river,” Seymour said.

“Our concerns are always for our fish, our water supply, the wildlife that gets sustained by our river flows. It affects so many things.”

Amy  Smart, Times Colonist, July 12 2015

Pressure is rising on the Cowichan River, as drought conditions force its stewards to balance conflicting needs — from the livelihood of mill workers to the lives of salmon.

Much of the region is already under water restrictions after a warm and dry winter and spring, with homeowners unable to water lawns, fill pools or wash cars.