After declaring a State of Local Emergency, Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober said the city needed to act immediately to prevent running out of water this winter season.
“Since we went to Stage 3 Water Conservation Measures, our community has responded, and our water consumption has dropped dramatically,” said Dober.
In early September, the city implemented Stage 3 Water Conservation Measures, reporting it had about 150 days left of water in storage.
The mayor said the city still has the same amount of water stored in its reservoir, thanks to the public’s effort to conserve water, but also because the Kiskatinaw River has had “a bit of moisture” over the past month.
Dober said declaring a State of Local Emergency allows the city to access additional resources and support from the province.
“It helps to secure a temporary, supplemental water source and protect essential services for the community,” he said.
In late September, the mayor said the short-term plan is to pump water from the Peace River near Taylor into the city’s current reservoir. He added that the city has asked the province for emergency help to make that happen.
“For every one year of drought, it takes two years of above-average moisture to make up for that. That’s how dry the Kiskatinaw River is,” Dober said.
He added that since the river has experienced three and a half years of drought, it could take up to seven years of above-average moisture to recover.
“With the severity of this drought, it’s a priority for us to get a permanent fix, so that future generations don’t have to go through this,” said Dober.