Okanagan Drought
Planning and Response
A presentation by Kellie Garcia
Osoyoos Lake Water Science Forum
October 9, 2015
Presentation Outline
Local response to 2015
drought
Drought timeline & impacts
Action taken
Challenges faced
Okanagan drought project
Status of drought planning
Draft recommendations
Take home messages
2015 Drought
Overview of local response
Drought timeline
2015 DROUGHT LEVELS AT A GLANCE
Drought Levels:
1
Normal
2
Dry
3
Very Dry
4
Extremely Dry
Basins
15-May 28-May 25-Jun 03-Jul 09-Jul 15-Jul 21-Jul 23-Jul 05-Aug 06-Aug 20-Aug 03-Sep 17-Sep 01-Oct
Northwest
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Stikine
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Northeast
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
Peace
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
East Peace
1
2
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
Skeena-Nass
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
Nechako
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Upper Fraser
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
Middle Fraser
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
2
1
Upper Columbia
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
Lower Columbia
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
West Kootenay
1
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
2
2
East Kootenay
2
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
1
1
North Thompson
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
3
3
4
4
2
1
South Thompson
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
Okanagan-Kettle
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
3
3
Kettle (separated July 23)
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
Nicola
2
2
2
2
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
Similkameen
2
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
Skagit
1
1
1
1
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
Lower Fraser
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
South Coast
2
2
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
Vancouver Island
2
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
Haida Gwaii
1
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
1
1
1
Central Coast
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
Prepared By: Water Management Branch, Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Last Update: October 2,, 2015
Drought impacts
Devastation to salmon population—as well as
sturgeon and chinook in other areas
Extensive wildfires
Several Okanagan streams put on the watch
list for regulation, including Duteau and
Trepanier creeks
Our reservoirs fared okay: concern about what
will happen with precipitation this winter, and
our reservoir status going into spring of 2016
Local response – OBWB
Frequent email updates
Press releases and other outreach through
Make Water Work campaign
Commissioned three studies:
Status reports from local purveyors
Analysis of volume of water conserved through
30% reduction in use
Methods for lake evaporation estimation
Webinar and workshop
Local response – water utilities
Several moved to 2 days/week but many
stayed at odd/even (3 days)
Several issued press releases supporting the
province and asking community to reduce use
Other communication tools were also used
(e.g. signs, website updates)
Some took action in other ways (e.g. SEKID)
Many attended OBWB webinar and workshop
Challenges faced
Difficult to gather and distribute timely info
about status & vulnerability of water supplies
Confusion about how local suppliers should
respond to provincial drought declarations
Challenging to show cumulative benefits of
upstream conservation (e.g. pulse flows)
Okanagan Drought Project
Purpose: evaluate preparedness and strengthen
drought resiliency in the Okanagan
What contributes to resiliency?
Good understanding of water supply and
demand (current and future)
Water uses and withdrawals, water quality,
instream flow requirements, demand under
various scenarios, management alternatives,
potential conflicts and impacts
Monitoring, record-keeping, and reporting
Water demand, reservoir levels, climate
conditions, water quality
What contributes to resiliency?
Continued and heightened conservation
Bylaws, education, and other conservation
measures, plans, coordinated approaches
Formal communications strategies
Identify communication channels to key
stakeholders and public, methods & timing,
responsibilities
Consistent and deliberate cooperation
Build relationships and make friends before the
drought
Are we ready?
Looked at 18 major Okanagan purveyors
Five have formal drought plans
All but one have watering restriction bylaws
Most have conservation info on website, a few
have formal programs/plans
Not sure about communication plans
Not much coordination between utilities
No valley-wide response strategy in place
We have a good framework in place
Barriers to drought planning
Myth of abundance
Mishmash of water providers
Variation between drainages & sources
Variation in bylaws & policies
Difficult to show hydrological
connectivity
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette
The hydro-illogical cycle
Draft Recommendations
Under review by the focus group
Information
Identify gaps and gather
info to support drought
planning
Implement robust
monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting
Universal water
metering
Planning
Prepare drought
plans
Can be based on
provincial template
Might already have
the info - just need to
update and compile
Plan for “new
normal” (i.e. multiyear drought)
Conservation
Make water
conservation a
year-round
priority in all
jurisdictions
Conservation
Continue to communicate the “One Valley One
Water” message
How can we make information about
hydrological connectivity more accessible?
We need a better argument than “doing the
right thing”
Coordination
Prepare a valley-wide
drought response plan
Link to provincial plan
Focus on communication &
coordination
Include TOR for Okanagan
Valley Drought Response
Team
Connect to provincial
response teams
Coordination
Prepare (or update) drought agreements for
priority sub-basins
Include all water licensees/stakeholders
Link to valley-wide drought plan/team
Coordination
Adopt consistent definitions of stages and
common decision-making tools for moving
between them
e.g. Armstrong Stage 2 is hand watering only,
whereas GVWU (and most others) it is
sprinkling 2 days per week
Different definitions of “normal” stage
Communication
Three levels to consider:
Water suppliers to water users
Between water suppliers
Between province and water suppliers
PROVINCE
OBWB
SUPPLIER
SUPPLIER
SUPPLIER
USERS
USERS
USERS
Communication
Develop consistent and
collaborative drought
communication tools
Communication
Graphics to show
actual operating
range of
Okanagan Lake
and potential
impacts of
drought?
Need to link to the
individual
Example:
Cowichan
Lake level
and role of
the weir
Communication
Expand Okanagan WaterWise to include
drought (and flood?) outreach campaign
Take home messages
Drought response this year was quite reactive,
but a good learning experience
Need to get better prepared before next year
Framework is in place but much more work to be
done
OBWB can take a leadership role in
communication and coordination, but utilities
must get ready at the local level
The water we save today may be
the water we need in the future.
THANK-YOU!
My contact info:
250-545-3672
[email protected]