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“Delta has ongoing salinity monitoring program which is tied to the irrigation system operation and monitoring through the SCADA system. The Fraser River water quality is continually monitored at 4 intake locations along the river,” staed Hugh Fraser. “Monitoring of Fraser River flow and water quality should assist in improving the overall understanding of irrigation river water quality for agricultural producers.”

Agriculture is a large fresh water user and the demand for water will only increase as summers get longer, hotter and drier. “The farming community needs a secure supply of water at a sustainable level of cost, quality and quantity to maintain the viability of actively farmed agriculture land in the Metro Vancouver region,” states Daryl Arnold.

“Agriculture is a large fresh water user and the demand for water will only increase as summers get longer, hotter and drier,” states Ted van der Gulik. “BC needs 215,000 hectares of irrigated agriculture to feed the current population. With careful planning, the irrigated area in the Lower Mainland could be increased to 69,000 hectares at buildout. From both the food security and resiliency perspectives, this underscores the strategic value of agricultural land in the Fraser Valley.”

“In British Columbia, surface and groundwater are now managed under the same regulatory system,” states Greg Tyson. “Effective February 29, 2016 all non-domestic users of groundwater are required to obtain a licence to withdraw and use water from wells. This means that about 20,000 existing non-domestic well owners, including those in the agriculture sector, must now apply for a licence.”

“The study assesses the sensitivity of the Fraser River to salinity changes. A range of channel dredging scenarios are simulated, recognizing that there may be practical limitations on the depth to which the Fraser River can be deepened. Ports around the world typically have navigation channels that are 16 m to 18 m deep. We don’t as yet know what is realistic for the Fraser River,” stated John ter Borg.