Level 3 Drought Rating

Residents of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands and northeast B-C are being urged to conserve water as provincial officials say drought conditions have arrived earlier than usual. B-C issued a drought level three for these three regions yesterday, indicating “very dry” conditions and triggering a call for voluntary reductions in water use by 20 to 30 per cent. The rest of the province is categorized as drought level two, with the exception of the Columbia Basin and West Kootenay Basin, where conditions are normal. At the fourth and highest drought level, the province has the authority to require reductions in water use.