Despite the ongoing heatwave, both the East and West Kootenay remain at drought Level 1.
“We are seeing drought conditions start to increase and this is normal as we start to see these high-pressure systems roll in and this consistent sunny and hot weather,” said B.C.’s water management executive director Connie Chapman.
She said drought in the Kootenays is consistent with what’s happening throughout southern B.C.
“We do see right now that the southern half of B.C. is in drought Levels 1 and 2 and this is somewhat of a positive,” she added.
“Due to the cool spring and June that we did experience, those stream flows are managing within normal ranges at this point in time.”
Compared to the same time last year, both the East and West Kootenays were at drought Level 4 and the Upper Columbia Region was at Level 3.
The hot weather is expected to continue for at least 10 more days, which will add to the drought concern.
“This is where we’ll see many streams start to have greater challenges with drought conditions,” Chapman added.
Our region’s drought levels will be updated again on July 18.
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