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How BC Drought Managers Make Tough Water Allocation Decisions
Manage episode 415767237 series 3554366
Jordan Marr에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 Jordan Marr 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.
This episode returns to the subject of drought and how the government manages water scarcity. This time: an interview with Nicole Pyett, a hydrogeologist and Water Resources Section Head, Authorizations for the Thompson Okanagan region with BC's Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. Scroll down to find a bunch of resources NIcole mentions in our conversation.
I asked Nicole to join me to talk about some of the science and date behind how she and her colleagues make decisions about how to allocate water during drought.
Last year, water levels in the Salmon River and some of its tributaries dropped so low that officials from BC's Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship were required by law to take actions to protect spawning fish populations there. What began as a request for voluntary irrigation reductions quickly escalated to outright irrigation curtailment orders for some of the area's forage producers. These farmers were, and are, frustrated by what happened. They've argued that the connection between the deep aquifers they tap and surface water levels is very weak, or non-existent. In other words, if you force them to stop irrigating it's not going help the fish.
Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship hydrogeologists disagree. And at a community meeting they hosted in Westwold on February 27th, they told the farmers in attendance that they had the data on hand to demonstrate the curtailments improved the situation for spawning fish. Only they never got to share their data, because the conversation in the room kept going in various directions. That's why I invited NIcole to talk to me: so that I could ask her to explain the connection between surface water and ground water.
After our conversation, Nicole sent me a very helpful summary of some of the resources she talked about. Here it is:
Water Science Series reports released by the Province of British Columbia
Determining the Likelihood of Hydraulic Connection - Guidance for Determining the Effect of Diversion of Groundwater on Specific Streams
Screening Tool for Guiding Short-Term Groundwater Curtailment during Water Scarcity
United States Geological Survey (USGS) report
Links to numerous other materials and documents including the British Columbia Drought and Water Scarcity Response Plan are available through the Provincial drought webpage.
Questions and comments regarding water management in the Thompson Okanagan Region can be sent to local staff through [email protected].
Other links:
farminginbc.ca/submit if you'd like to contribute your thoughts for a future episode of the show. You're also welcome to send an audio recording to Jordan via text/whatsapp/signal Jordan at 250 767 6636 or via [email protected]
farminginbc.ca/sponsorship to learn more about buying ads on the podcast or other forms of sponsorship.
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Sponsors in this episode
BPL Backflow Testing: This episode of Farming in British Columbia is supported in part by BPL Backflow Testing, servicing the central and north Okanagan. Irrigation season is fast approaching. If your irrigation system requires a back flow device and you need it tested, BPL Backflow Testing can take care of that.
Sponsors in this episode
BPL Backflow Testing: This episode of Farming in British Columbia is supported in part by BPL Backflow Testing, servicing the central and north Okanagan. Irrigation season is fast approaching. If your irrigation system requires a back flow device and you need it tested, BPL Backflow Testing can take care of that.
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