The B.C. government has published its latest Drought and Water Scarcity Bulletin, with data up to Sept. 24.
The report shows drought conditions on Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast have worsened slightly from last week.
The east Island and Sunshine Coast are at Level 2 on the province’s drought severity index, while the west Island is at Level 1. Level 5 is the most severe.
In last week’s report, the east Island and Sunshine Coast were at Level 1, while the west Island was at Level 0, indicating normal or wetter-than-normal conditions.
“Coastal areas received relatively little precipitation, resulting in below-normal streamflows for this time of year, when streamflows typically begin to increase in response to seasonal fall rainfall,” the report said.
The report adds that streamflows across the east and west Island regions have been declining, although water temperatures have improved.
In the Cowichan Valley, irrigation scheduling will continue until Sept. 30 in the Koksilah River watershed to maintain flows and support fish health.
Forecasters say precipitation is likely to return to the coast early next week after a relatively dry weekend, while temperatures are expected to return to near-normal conditions across most of B.C.
The next report is scheduled for Oct. 8.
