Boundary residents are being urged to conserve water following a declaration of a level 3 drought by the province late last week.
The rating is for the Boundary area, including the Kettle and Granby rivers.
“While the region experienced serious flooding in the spring, the lack of precipitation since early July has caused streams to drop significantly, putting fish stocks and ecosystems at risk,” a news release notes.
The drought conditions call for voluntary water use reductions from all surface and groundwater users. That would include municipalities and industrial users.
Maximum conservation is encouraged as streams in the Kettle Valley approach “critical” environmental thresholds, the province said.
An angling closure in effect for the Kettle River system until Aug. 25 may be extended as ministry staff monitor fish populations.
At Monday night’s city council meeting, council passed a motion directing staff to implement watering restrictions in accordance with provincial drought levels. The city is currently at a stage 2 watering restriction, which means twice per week watering.
If the province declares a level 4 drought, the city would move to stage 3 restrictions (one day per week). See grandforks.ca for more information on watering restrictions.
The province offers the following tips to help conserve water:
• limit outdoor watering
• 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
