British Columbia drought prompts call for water rate hikes and flow reductions

Coree Tull, chair of the BC Watershed Security Coalition, warned that the province’s response to the Okanagan watershed’s fourth consecutive year of high‑level drought has been “ad hoc” and under‑funded. She said watershed‑security project funding has dropped 80 % since 2023 and urged the provincial government to raise industrial water rates from $2.25 per million litres – among the lowest in Canada – to generate $75‑100 million for water‑management projects. Tull compared the proposal to Quebec’s recent rate of $155 per million litres and noted the coalition represents more than 57 organisations and 285,000 residents across British Columbia.

Meanwhile, Domtar Crofton Mill’s environment manager reported that, as Cowichan Lake fell to 80 % capacity and snowpack melted, the river flow was reduced in stages to 6.0 cubic metres per second. Further reductions are expected if dry conditions persist, with biologists monitoring water quality and habitat impacts. The situation reflects broader pressures on BC’s watersheds from reduced snowpacks, hotter summers and prolonged drought, prompting calls for larger storage solutions and proactive water‑rate policies.