Water Use & Conservation

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    UNTAPPED POTENTIAL FOR RAINWATER HARVESTING: “We need to elevate the role of stormwater capture across the country as part of the toolbox to help alleviate the increasing stress in our water supplies,” stated Bruk Berhanu, Ph.D., a senior researcher for the Pacific Institute


    “The results of our analysis clearly show that there’s a vast opportunity to support water resilience in communities by implementing more stormwater capture to supplement water supplies and help offset the negative impacts of urban stormwater runoff,” said Bruk Berhanu. “The next steps would be for communities to build on these results and to determine how much stormwater capture is feasible for them. That involves looking at local context and considering factors such as potential impacts on downstream water users.”

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    BRITISH COLUMBIA’S 2023 DROUGHT AND IMPACT: “If you’re using water you don’t need right now, it’s cutting into your food security,” stated Kevin Boon, General Manager of the BC Cattlemen’s Association


    As creeks and wells were running dry in mid-July, some B.C. farmers were trucking water to feed livestock, while others were reducing the size of their herds and anticipating crop loss. Four B.C. regions, including the northeast, Bulkley Lakes, and east and west Vancouver Island were at drought Level 5, with much of the rest of the province at Level 4. Drought Level 5 means it is “almost certain” an area will see adverse effects on communities and ecosystems. “B.C. farmers are among the first to feel the impact,” stated Kevin Boon.

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    NEW REALITY IN METRO VANCOUVER: “Climate change is now the most significant risk to the water supply,” wrote Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun newspaper columnist (April 2023)


    “Despite continued population growth and climate change, Metro Vancouver Water District has taken only baby steps toward expanding its storage and supply capacity. For the past two decades, its directors — councillors and mayors appointed by their various councils — have had conservation as the primary strategy. Up until now, cutting per-capita usage has worked well enough. Crunch time may finally have arrived. We’re going to need more than magical thinking to deal with regional water supplies,” wrote Daphne Bramham.

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    WATCH THE VIDEO / WATER AND A CHANGING CLIMATE: “Because the earth is a closed-loop system, new water is not being created. What is changing in British Columbia is the seasonal distribution. Longer, drier summers are followed by warmer, wetter winters. Extreme droughts followed by extreme floods show just how unbalanced the seasonal water cycle is now. This is our new reality,” stated Kim Stephens, Partnership for Water Sustainability (July 2021)


    “A long career provides perspective. In my five decades as water resource planner and engineer, there are three years that really stand out in British Columbia when the topic is water conservation. After what in respect was a benign half-century, 1987 was BC’s first wake up call. The drought was unprecedented in living memory. But it was 2003 that truly was what we call ‘the teachable year.’ This really got the attention of British Columbians that the climate was indeed changing. In 2015, the West Coast of North America crossed an invisible threshold into a different hydro-meteorological regime. And it has happened faster than anyone expected,” stated Kim Stephens.

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    WATER SUPPLY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA’S CHANGING CLIMATE: “Since 2000, summer precipitation has dropped about 20 per cent. This step change is unusual,” stated Hans Schreier, a professor emeritus of land and water systems at the University of British Columbia (July 2021)


    Climate change has aggravated an existing vulnerability related to seasonal supply of water in BC. “If we’d go to some good conservation measures, we wouldn’t have to worry for the next 15 or 20 years about summer water supplies, But we’re a very slow starter — everybody thinks we have enough water. It’s not a technical problem, it’s a social problem. You’ve got variability every year, and all of a sudden it dropped about 20 per cent. This means we need to be far more conscientious about summer water use,” stated Hans Schreier.

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    DROUGHTS AFFECT ALL OF US: 42 days and counting – no end in sight for dry spell, which began after Metro Vancouver’s last measurable rainfall on June 15, 2021


    As Metro Vancouver headed into Day 43 of drought, officials asked residents to keep the six-week-long lack of precipitation in mind when they think about watering their lawn or washing their car. “We’re keeping a close eye on things. We need people to be really mindful about how they are using the water that is available. We’re certainly not in a position where we’ve got surplus water and people can do whatever they want,” stated Marilyn Towill, Metro Vancouver General Manager of Water Services.

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    DROUGHTS AFFECT ALL OF US: “A generation ago, water supply managers could reasonably anticipate that three months of water storage would be sufficient to maintain supply during a dry summer. Today, however, a 6-month drought is a very real likelihood,” stated Kim Stephens, Executive Director, Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC (July 2021)


    “Climate change has aggravated an existing vulnerability related to seasonal supply of water in BC. Over time, the safety factor has been shrinking. While it rains a lot in BC, we do not have an abundance of supply when demand is greatest. In addition, the mountainous nature of BC’s geography means that BC communities are typically storage-constrained, and what storage they do have is measured in weeks to months. As of 2015, we clearly crossed an invisible threshold into a different hydrometeorological regime in Western North America,” stated Kim Stephens.

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