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village of mcbride in fifth month of state of emergency because of drought
mcbride mayor eugene runtz said there is a major concern that the community of close to 700 people could run out of drinking water.
jan 10 2024
3 minute read
file photograph of a helicopter flying past a mountain near mcbride.
darryl dyck
/
the canadian press
the village of mcbride, located southeast of prince george near the alberta border, has been in a state of emergency because of severe drought for five months.
mayor eugene runtz said there is a major concern that the community of close to 700 people could run out of drinking water. he said that while the reservoir is now full, there is no water feeding into it from dominion creek, which has been bone dry since june. this is because of a reduced snowpack last year causing lower melt levels. the residents are conserving water voluntarily but without significant snowfall in the forecast, they will likely run out, said runtz.
he doesn’t know when that would be because this situation has never happened before, at least not in his 38 years of living in mcbride.
“this is the first time we did not have a white christmas in mcbride,” he said wednesday. “i don’t remember any significant snowfall after jan. 1 all the way through april last year.”
the village is considering digging a trial well this winter on the advice of a hydrologist to provide water in the spring, he said. they can also truck water in from valemount if they need to but this is very expensive, even with government contributions to pay for the cost of hauling, and it’s not sustainable.
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“whatever we do it is not going to be cheap, but running out of water is not an option,” he said, adding that with climate change exacerbating drought conditions, mcbride needs a long-term plan to provide water for its residents.
the drought this year was far worse and more widespread throughout the province than ever experienced before and, according to the emergency management and climate readiness ministry, this problem is expected to worsen with global heating.
mcbride is the only b.c. community under a state of emergency because of drought. however, water restrictions may still be in place in other areas of the province following the severe drought over the summer, the ministry said.
runtz said the village first declared a state of emergency on sept. 19 after hitting stage 5 drought conditions, b.c.’s highest drought level. five months in and they’re still at stage 4.
the village received snow on tuesday but the forecast for the following six days is for dry and extremely cold weather, with daytime temperature highs as low as – 31 c, according to environment and climate change canada.
this cold and dry weather is worrisome, said runtz, because this is when they historically have the lowest water flow.
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ministry staff said they’re working with mcbride through its continuing drought, but the village hasn’t requested support for transportation costs of alternate drinking water. however, the ministry said that support would be available should water-hauling become necessary.
university of b.c. forestry professor lori daniels told postmedia news last month that the drier than normal fall following a long, hot and dry summer is a major concern. she added that with el nino conditions they’re anticipating low winter snowpacks and potentially another summer of drought and extreme wildfires in the province.
at the height of the drought in august, 29 of b.c’s 34 water-basin regions were at drought levels 4 or 5, meaning adverse impacts are likely or almost certain.
— with files from glenda luymes
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