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Industry holders of Water Sustainability Act Authorizations across B.C. are notified of potential long-term water shortages due to persistent dry conditions.

DATE ISSUED: July 18, 2023

EFFECTIVE DATE: IMMEDIATELY


The BC Energy Regulator (BCER) is committed to responsible water management. Protecting and maintaining environmental and community water needs are our priorities.

Warm and dry weather conditions across the province are setting up for another summer of challenging water supply as announced by the Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness on July 13, 2023. Water levels in streams and other water bodies across the province are low due to extremely dry conditions since fall 2022, and more recently, record temperatures and low precipitation since May 2023, which caused the earliest recorded melt of mountain snowpack.

Information from the River Forecast Centre indicates:

  • Over the last 365 days, most of the province measured 40-85 per cent of average precipitation and the latest Environment and Climate Change Canada long-term forecast predicts a high likelihood of above normal temperatures and drier than normal conditions in much of the province for July to September.
  • As of July 10, 24 per cent of Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations in B.C. are measuring the lowest flows on record, with 54 per cent measuring flows at the 5th percentile or lower (representative of a 1 in 20–year drought).
  • As of July 13, 22 of the 34 province’s administrative drought regions are at Drought Level 4 or above (dry and very dry conditions).

As of July 12, the BCER has suspended surface water withdrawals issued under Section 10 of the Water Sustainability Act (WSA) across most of northeast B.C. and is working with Ministry of Forests representatives in other regions to determine if further restrictions are needed (see link to the current and past Directives below).

The BCER reminds industry holders of other existing WSA water authorizations to conserve water where possible and to be aware of the potential for long-term water shortages and additional water restrictions that could be imposed by the BCER or the provincial government.

More information:

If you have any questions regarding this Information Update, please contact:

Ryan Rolick
Hydrologist
BC Energy Regulator
Ryan.Rolick@bc-er.ca
250-794-5213