OBSERVATION
The drought of 2014 in the Peace River Region of Northeast British Columbia (BC) was one of the most severe drought events on record. The potential for impact in this resource dependent region was significant and challenged resource managers.
Several streams exceeded the historical records for low flow conditions. New drought records were set, with the lowest stream flow discharges in recorded history, for several streams at WSC hydrometric stations. Streams that reached historical low flow conditions included the Beatton River, Halfway River, Pine River and Fontas River. Streams that were very close to lowest recorded flows included the Kiskatinaw River and Pouce Coupe River.
BACKGROUND
Precipitation data from the Fort St John Airport indicated that the summer of 2014 was the driest on record, dating back to 1942 when recording climate data at the airport was first collected. Fortunately, the period between September 2013 and May 2014 was the fourth wettest on record at the Fort St John Airport. Therefore, soil and groundwater conditions were favourable heading into the drought.
Acting as the lead water stewardship officer for the drought response team in northeastern BC, I was able to participate in stream flow monitoring, field observations, and contribute to management decisions regarding drought conditions in the Peace River region. In collaboration with other Water Stewardship staff, a Drought Response Plan was created and implemented for the northeastern region of BC. Effective drought response management was implemented with cross agency support from the BC Provincial Drought Response team, hydrologists from the Oil and Gas Commission (OGC), and Water Survey of Canada (WSC) technicians. Provincial drought response conference calls were held on a bi-weekly basis with input from several specialists from the regional, provincial and federal water management network.
During my daily monitoring of Water Survey of Canada hydrometric stations, the data indicated that stream conditions were highly variable through the Peace Region. Watersheds with mountainous headwaters faired relatively well due to water being supplied by the melting snow pack that lasted late into the summer months. However, watersheds with low level plateau headwaters are more rainfall dependent for water supply during the summer months and were significantly affected by the drought.
The Peace River Region reached level three in the four stage, BC Provincial Drought Classification system. The Provincial Drought Classification table is attached to this report for reference and an internet link to the BC Drought Management website is also included in this posting.
Short term water permits for many applications were suspended, depending on purpose and water right priority, by BC Water Stewardship and OGC mandates. In addition, a voluntary reduction of water use by licensees, with a target of 30% water use reduction, was encouraged. The City of Dawson Creek relies on water withdrawals from the Kiskatinaw River to supply the city with fresh water. Fortunately, the City of Dawson Creek’s water reservoirs were at near full capacity prior to the onset of drought conditions. Therefore, the decrease in allowable water extraction from the Kiskatinaw River did not negatively impact the city residents.
The Peace River Region of BC has a significant agricultural industry that is dependent on snowmelt and rainfall to provide the necessary soil moisture to sustain crop yields. Very little irrigation is conducted in the region. The Ministry of Agriculture reported that in general, hay and grain crop yields were average to slightly below average. However, crop performance was variable throughout the Peace Region with some producers experiencing disappointing results. Range staff at the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations indicated that some adverse conditions were being felt by livestock producers but the situation did not reach a critical level where livestock were not able to find sufficient water.
An interesting observation that I made and also observed by a WSC technician was that beavers using the river habitat were damming portions of the rivers to hold back water for their habitat requirements. Under normal flow conditions some dam creation would be evident but there would be sufficient water for the beavers to inhabit the rivers without significant damming to be required. However, under the severe drought conditions the beaver dams were becoming more prolific in response to the low water conditions. Therefore, some portions of rivers had pools of standing water with virtually dry stream reaches downstream of the beaver impoundments.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For additional information regarding drought, flood and the River Forecast Center please use the following link:
http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/environment/air-land-water/water/drought-flooding-dikes-dams
Observations From Members 