British Columbians are being told to reduce their water consumption because of drought and water scarcity that is impacting most of the southern half of the province.

The Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development says people in the Thompson-Okanagan should reduce their water consumption by 30 per cent. Areas subject to a request for further curtailment will receive notices via email or mail.

This all comes after the Kamloops area experienced the second-driest meteorological spring on record with just 10.3 mm of rain in March, April and May followed by a period of record temperatures with the mercury topping out at 47.3 C on June 30 – the highest temperature ever recorded in Kamloops.

The daytime high in Kamloops hit 28.2 C yesterday ending a stretch of 26 days where the temperature crossed the 30 C mark going back to June 25.

“It is not a great situation. So in terms of that precipitation deficit we really see big precipitation deficit kind of in a circle surrounding Kamloops,” BC River Forecast Centre Hydrologist, Ashlee Jollymore, told NL News. “Its a little bit better in the area right around Kamloops, but for example the area north and to the Quesnel Lake, 100 Mile House area, very very low precipitation amount.”

“It is quite an exceptional situation and it is really driven by the fact that we have seen this exceptional precipitation deficit over the last 30 to 60 to 90 days. We just have not seen a lot of rain since basically that peak snow season ended.”

The Salmon River watershed (which drains into Shuswap Lake), the Kettle River, the Nicola watershed, and the Coldwater River watersheds are currently at Drought Level 4.

“In these areas, significant, adverse impacts on fish are very likely, and maximum water conservation for all water users and licensees is urged,” a government statement said.

Areas under Drought Level 3 include the watersheds of the west Kootenays and the lower Columbia River, the North and South Thompson rivers and their watersheds, and the entire Okanagan valley. Twelve other watershed basins in B.C. are either under Drought Level 2 or Drought Level 1.

“Conserving water resources is also important in these areas, to reduce the risk of adverse impacts to water users or the environment,” the statement added.

Drought Level 5 is the most severe with adverse impacts to socioeconomic or ecosystem values being almost certain.

“If conservation measures do not achieve sufficient results and drought conditions worsen, temporary protection orders under the Water Sustainability Act may be issued to water licensees, to avoid significant or irreversible harm to aquatic ecosystems,” the statement added.

“Provincial staff are actively monitoring the situation and working to balance water uses with environmental flow needs.

And while water used to extinguish a fire or contain and control the spread of a fire remains exempt from a provincial water license or approval, people who have been ordered to evacuate their properties because of a wildfire are being reminded that they need to leave the area immediately.

For the latest information on the drought, go here.

 – With files from Jeff Andreas

General water conservation tips:

At home:

• Limit outdoor watering.
• Do not water during the heat of the day or when it is windy.
• Consider planting drought-tolerant vegetation.
• Take shorter showers.
• Do not leave taps running.
• Install water-efficient showerheads, taps and toilets.

On the farm:

• Implement an irrigation scheduling program.
• Schedule irrigation to match crop needs and soil storage capacity.
• Improve water system efficiencies and check for leaks.
• Focus on high-value crops and livestock.

Industry:

• Reduce non-essential water use.
• Recycle water used in industrial operations.
• Use water-efficient methods and equipment.