By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

Nanaimo fairing well as provincial drought, smoky skies advisories issued

Jul 30, 2018 | 1:02 PM

NANAIMO — The ground on Vancouver Island and much of the B.C. coast is bone dry, forcing the province to raise their drought rating.

It’s currently at level three, which calls for people to voluntarily reduce as much of their water use as possible, including not watering lawns, filling pools or washing cars. Municipalities and large industrial users are also being asked to cut back in the name of conservation.

Last year, the Nanaimo area reached Level 4 drought conditions by June and receded back to Level 3 by the beginning of August. Level 4 is the most serious drought condition.

This year, City director of engineering and public works Bill Sims said Nanaimo is on track to capably handle the drought. The water reservoir at Jump Lake was at full storage by spring and is expected to carry the area through the hot season and into the rainy fall.

“We like to finish the season better than 50 per cent full storage,” he told NanaimoNewsNOW. “We’ve had droughts over the last three or four years and we’re on track with last year. Water use is about where we expected.” 

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Nanaimo is currently at stage two water restrictions, meaning people can water their lawns between 7 to 10 a.m. and p.m. every other day depending on your house number, while filling pools, washing your car or pressue washing a drive way can happen on your specific watering day. 

Sims said they’ve tried to instill the message of water conservation in the community for decades and it’s paying off at a time when the water supply is crucial.

“Some of it’s subtle, but some of it is water metering. Our water rates are set appropriately for conservation. It hurts to be wasteful. All of that really helps on the demand side of things.” 

As the hot temperatures reach their August peak, river levels are expected to drop.

Numerous fish bearing streams on the Island are reportedly approaching critical levels for fish and their ecosystems. The province is considering angling closures as a more significant measure to protect the fish.

At the same time, the skies above the island are increasingly hazy. A smoky skies advisory was expanded from the Interior over to Vancouver Island. Some of the smoke is even arriving in our area from as far away as Greece and Siberia.

Mild irritation and discomfort can be expected as the smoke lingers, while those with medical conditions such as asthma are urged to stay indoors and out of the heat.

Hot conditions aren’t expected to ease until the middle of the week.

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