Water is in such short supply in parts of the Cowichan Valley that some farmers won’t be able to irrigate their fields.
Alison Nicholson, vice-chair of the Cowichan Valley Regional District and director for the Cowichan Station / Sahtlam / Glenora region, says the groundwater in the Koksilah River watershed is dangerously low because of the drought. It’s prompted the province to cut off access for some farmers who don’t have groundwater licences, sending compliance officers to farms to tell them to shut off the taps.
“They’ve really tried to focus on forage crops, which are hay and corn,” she says. “It really affects the large dairy farms and the Koksilah’s got about 10 or so large dairy farms in it, so it’s a big economic issue for the farmers.”
She says they only impose restrictions when the water levels are very low, and when they are brought in the water levels in the river are noticeably higher.
Nichols says some farmers in the region are voluntarily reducing their water usage by co-ordinating their irrigation schedules.
“They go four days on and four days off… that kind of prolongs the amount of time they can continue farming and irrigating, but this year I know they’re probably going to turn them off again,” she says.
Some farmers have had their access cut off in previous years because of low water levels.
However, she adds, before shutting off access to farmers, the province is first trying to target people who are accessing the water illegally.
Dairy farmers rely on forage crops to feed their herds during winter. Island farmers have been struggling this year to provide enough food for their animals because of dry conditions.
Nicholson says the region has had water supply issues since the 1980s, and that because of high demand for declining resources, it’s unlikely anyone who tries to get a licence now will have it granted.
