Overview

• Over sixty percent of British Columbia is under level two or three drought status, reflecting significant precipitation deficits and low streamflows.
• Residential water use accounts for up to seventy percent of summer demand in some regions, prompting officials to call for voluntary reductions in household consumption.
• Environment Canada forecasts higher odds of a warmer, drier summer, especially in the Okanagan and Kootenay areas, exacerbating drought pressures.
• Provincial authorities are collaborating with First Nations, local governments, industry and agricultural sectors to manage water resources and stand ready to issue protection orders if required.
• The new drought index aligns with other jurisdictions and measures drinking water supply, ecosystem health, fish survival and food production to refine regional responses.