Last week’s heat warning has given way to a pair of new weather-related advisories spanning the west coast from Metro Vancouver all the way north to Alaska.
A Level 3 drought rating was issued Monday morning by the province, which calls for voluntary water-use reductions across municipal, agricultural and industrial lands. The advisory comes on the heels of 13 temperature records being broken across the province on Sunday.
Dry dead grass in the city shows the heat and lack of water. Photograph By DAN TOULGOET
The areas affected by the advisory include all of Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, the Gulf Islands and spans the entirety of B.C.’s west coast.
Those living in the affected areas are asked to:
- limit outdoor watering
- not water during the heat of the day or when it is windy
- consider planting drought-tolerant vegetation
- take shorter showers
- do not leave the tap running (i.e. while brushing teeth)
- install water-efficient showerheads, taps and toilets
Water restrictions in Vancouver remain at Stage 1. Those regulations allow for lawn watering only twice weekly between the hours of 4 and 9 a.m. Gardens, shrubs and trees can be watered daily between 4 and 9 a.m. Those restrictions will remain in place until Oct. 15 and fines for watering outside the allowed times are $250.
Provincial staff are monitoring key fish-bearing streams on Vancouver Island where fishing may be banned if temperatures continue to impact stream flows and water supplies. Those waterways include the Koksilah, Chemainus, San Juan and Salmon rivers. Low water levels can impede the passage of salmon, increase susceptibility to disease, or cause stranding or death due to low oxygen and high water temperatures.
Monday’s drought advisory comes less than a day after Metro Vancouver extended its air quality warning for eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Haze continues to blanket the air due to wildfires in Richmond, Alaska and as far away as Eurasia.
Metro Vancouver’s air quality advisory health index was listed as moderate on Monday morning for Vancouver. That listing means at-risk populations — the elderly, infants or those with respiratory problems — should consider avoiding strenuous activities outdoors.
Anyone outside of those at-risk populations need not modify their outdoor behaviour unless they experience symptoms like couching or throat irritation.
