Drought

Susan Down, Local News Eye Cowichan, September 20, 2016

Last week I watched a harbour seal cruise to the mouth of the Cowichan River and then capture and eat a hefty salmon, its tail still flapping until the end. The predatory seals are in position because they know that Cowichan Bay is teeming with fish waiting to begin the arduous journey up the river to spawn. With water levels extremely low this year, the annual salmon spectacle will be even more perilous.

Humans are doing what they can to assist. The river’s north arm has become completely plugged since last year. This week, excavation has begun to remove about 15,000 cubic metres of gravel from river bed.

Carla Wilson, Times Colonist, August 26, 2016

Catalyst Paper is installing a $500,000 pump system in Lake Cowichan to maintain minimum water levels required in the Cowichan River.

It’s the first time that the company has turned to pumps.

It comes as the lake, which feeds the river, faces what has been deemed the worst year for early drought conditions, due to low snowpack in the winter and a dry spring.

News Release, Catalyst Paper Corp., August 24, 2016

Richmond, (BC) – Catalyst Paper today announced that it is making preparations to pump water from Cowichan Lake into the Cowichan River to maintain minimum flow rates to prevent the river from running dry as a result of the negligible spring snowpack and the dry summer. Given current weather conditions, the company expects pumping may be required by mid-September.

Amy Smart, Times Colonist, May 30, 2016

The province is urging Vancouver Islanders and Gulf Islanders to conserve water, as most rivers and streams are experiencing very low flows, although Greater Victoria’s large reservoir puts the region in better shape.

Wth a “very dry” Level 3 drought declared, the province is calling for a voluntary water-use reduction of 30 per cent by all municipal, agricultural and industrial users, except those supported by reservoirs or lake storage.

Cowichan Watershed Board, May 28, 2016

(Duncan, BC) Due to a very warm dry spring, the Cowichan Watershed is experiencing the lowest water levels ever witnessed at this time. While we started the year with a healthier snowpack, the warm April weather melted it quickly.  We depend on the weir on Lake Cowichan to capture spring rains and run-off but it is not tall enough to hold adequate water to supply the river for the whole summer. The lake is now too low to sustain the recommended min. 7 cubic metres per second (cms) river flow rate through the summer unless significantly more rain falls through the season. As a result, permission has now been granted to reduce the river flow from the weir to 4.5 cms in an attempt to keep the river wetted throughout the summer. This has undesirable consequences for local ecology, recreation, and industry but overall it is believed to be preferable to letting the river run dry. Discussions and studies are in process to raise the weir on Cowichan Lake to help with this in future years and the Watershed Board is actively working to support this strategy.  

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.