The Metropolis of Dawson Creek is trying to fast-track an estimated $100-million water pipeline as an unprecedented, years-long drought threatens town’s solely supply of ingesting water.
The Kiskatinaw River, which supplies water for 15,000 individuals in northeastern B.C., has dropped to report lows and should quickly fall beneath town’s every day demand.
Mayor Darcy Dober says town is asking the province to assist discover a new water provide and to exempt a pipeline connection from a full environmental evaluation. That might reduce a five-year approval course of down to 2, however even then, Dober says town can’t afford to attend if situations proceed to deteriorate.
“This is the number one priority for our community’s future,” Dober mentioned. “This is about 50 years, 100 years down the road.”
Dawson Creek and the Kiskatinaw watershed are at present categorised beneath Stage 3 drought situations.
The Kiskatinaw River close to Dawson Creek in June 2023. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
Common seven-day streamflows hit their lowest recorded ranges on the finish of July, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Useful resource Stewardship says that regardless of a slight rise from latest rain, they’re “still [at] record lows for this time of year.”
Circumstances aren’t any higher in Bearhole Lake, a protected space within the japanese foothills of the Rockies that’s the headwaters of the Kiskatinaw. Each rely fully on seasonal rain and snow.
“We get two or three days of rain and the next day, there’s not even puddles around,” mentioned Dober. “The ground is absorbing it quicker than it comes.”
WATCH | B.C. unveils new drought-tracking system:
B.C. unveils new drought-tracking system
Because the driest summer season months strategy, the B.C. authorities has unveiled a brand new system to trace and report drought situations within the province. This system will present how a lot water a neighborhood has saved to be used and the way nicely rivers and creeks are flowing.
Province engaged on emergency plans
In a written assertion, B.C.’s Environmental Evaluation Workplace (EAO) confirmed it’s guiding town by the exemption evaluate course of, however that regulatory functions have but to be formally filed.
As soon as submitted, the EAO says a 90-day engagement course of with governments, First Nations and the general public will start. From there, town might want to file a detailed mission description, which the EAO says it can evaluate earlier than making a advice to the setting minister.
“The EAO appreciates the urgency of the situation, and is working closely with [the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship] to ensure a timely and transparent review,” a spokesperson mentioned.
The spokesperson mentioned the EAO can be working with the Ministry of Emergency Administration and Local weather Readiness to “prepare for possible emergency response measures should drought conditions persist into the fall.”
“These efforts aim to support the City’s water needs while preserving environmental flows in the Kiskatinaw River.”
Planning for a drier future
Dawson Creek officers say the cumulative toll of the latest drought within the area dates again to the 2021 warmth dome.
Kevin Henderson is town’s chief administrative officer and has been coping with water points all through most of his almost 30-year profession with town.
Whereas earlier councils made good investments in reservoirs and storage weirs to construct capability within the water system, he says immediately’s situations are pushing the boundaries of that infrastructure.
“We never expected a four-year drought. We always thought we needed to get through a one-year drought, and so we invested in that direction,” Henderson mentioned. “The system has been extremely resilient, but we believe we are at a bit of a tipping point now.”
Mile 0 of the Alaska Freeway is seen in Dawson Creek, B.C., in 2018. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC)
Stage 2 water restrictions went into impact July 25, limiting residential garden watering and industrial water use, together with bulk withdrawals for hydraulic fracturing. The town’s storage reservoirs maintain about 200 days of water. However drawing them down is a final resort, and will result in tighter restrictions on residents and companies.
“We have to move forward with some plans,” mentioned Henderson. “All the studies that have been done over the years certainly indicate that this, what we’re seeing, is likely to be more common in the future, and that our environment is becoming more arid.”
Pipeline mission seen as greatest resolution
Earlier research have dominated out groundwater aquifers within the space as unsuitable for ingesting water. The town sees a pipeline to the Peace River, about 55 kilometres away, as one of the best long-term resolution.
It’s not a brand new concept. A 2013 survey discovered robust help, with 71 per cent of residents backing a connection to both the Peace or Murray River. Council on the time selected a special path, Henderson mentioned, like investing in a brand new reservoir, maximizing use of the present water remedy system, and leaving the pipeline as a future possibility.
Potential pipeline routes are nonetheless into consideration, however the Peace River is rising as probably the most viable and sustainable supply, Henderson mentioned.
“Because of the changing climate, although the Murray or the Pine [rivers] might be an upgrade from the Kiskatinaw, they still see low flows in the falls due to these prolonged droughts,” he mentioned. “So we felt if we’re going to do it, we should look at the largest river in the region, which is the Peace, and start to explore that.”
Early estimates counsel a water pipeline may exceed $100 million, a value Dober acknowledges is past town’s tax base.
Dawson Creek will want monetary help from senior ranges of presidency, in addition to partnerships with business and First Nations, to make it occur, he mentioned.
“We’re not going to stop until we get a secure water source for our community, and find a way to do that in the most cost-effective way for our taxpayers.”
