Close X
Thursday, January 16, 2025
ADVT 
National

Concerns For Fish, Water Supply Grow Amid High B.C. Temperatures

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 27 Jun, 2015 01:37 PM
  • Concerns For Fish, Water Supply Grow Amid High B.C. Temperatures
VANCOUVER — Environmental concerns are rising along with the soaring temperatures in British Columbia, where a heat wave has generated worries about forests fires, water supplies and fish habitats.
 
Weekend forecasts are calling for record-shattering temperatures in the low 30s on the south coast, and low 40s in the southern Interior, prompting Environment Canada to issue special weather statements.
 
River Forecast Centre hydrologist David Campbell said Friday that river levels are unseasonably low after a warm winter and spring with little snow or rain.
 
Drought conditions could be on the way if the dry weather persists.
 
"We would really need to see much wetter than normal conditions to provide a lot of relief in the rivers, just given the deficits that are there right now. And that scenario is not likely," Campbell said in an interview.
 
A low water flow advisory is already in place on Vancouver Island, he added, and low flows could cause problems for humans and animals alike.
 
The lack of water is a huge problem for salmon returning up rivers, explained John Richardson, head of the University of British Columbia's department of Forest and Conservation Sciences.
 
"It makes it really hard to jump through barriers and things like that. Even a tiny waterfall, they need some space to accelerate to get over top of that, and if the water's too shallow, they don't have that space," he said.
 
Smaller volumes of water also heat up more quickly. Richardson explained that when the temperatures get too high, fish have difficulties functioning normally, and may die.
 
Richardson predicted that there will be lower salmon returns to the spawning grounds this year.
 
The warm, dry spring has also raised the alarm for forest fires throughout the province.
 
Fire crews are still battling major blazes near Pemberton, Norman Lake and Lytton, and the Prince George Fire Centre had responded to 15 new fires that started on Thursday alone, all sparked by lightning.
 
The dry forests and rising temperatures prompted B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch to implement a campfire ban across the Coastal Fire Centre for Saturday at noon, excluding Haida Gwaii, northern Vancouver Island and the mainland's mid-coast.
 
Humans are also at risk during the heat wave.
 
Trish Knight Chernecki, spokeswoman for WorksafeBC, said 27 people lost days at work last year because of heat stress or a related injury.
 
Soaring temperatures this weekend increase risk, she said, but people can prevent heat stress and injuries by drinking lots of water, taking rests, and doing the hardest work during the coolest parts of the day.
 
The scorching temperatures will no doubt have people scrambling for the cool relief of water this weekend, and B.C.'s chief coroner is reminding swimmers and boaters to wear properly fitting life jackets, and stay away from alcohol.
 
"Hot weather draws people to B.C.'s beaches, rivers and lakes," Lisa Lapointe said in a news release. "They're wonderful places for recreation, but people need to be aware of basic safety precautions and minimize some of the inherent risks of water-based activities."

MORE National ARTICLES

Lawyers Explain Lawsuit Potential To Passengers In Air Canada Crash Landing

Lawyers Explain Lawsuit Potential To Passengers In Air Canada Crash Landing
HALIFAX — Lawyers for one of the class-action lawsuits filed on behalf of people involved in a plane crash at Halifax's airport in March held a meeting for passengers Wednesday to explain why they may wish to sign on to the legal case.

Lawyers Explain Lawsuit Potential To Passengers In Air Canada Crash Landing

SURREY-DELTA SHOOTINGS: Arrests & Charges Laid Against Surrey's Chandanjot Gill And Munroop Hayer

SURREY-DELTA SHOOTINGS: Arrests & Charges Laid Against Surrey's Chandanjot Gill And Munroop Hayer
Eighteen-year-old Chandanjot Singh Gill faces several firearms charges and one count of trafficking, while 21-year-old Munroop Hayer has been charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking. Both men are from Surrey.

SURREY-DELTA SHOOTINGS: Arrests & Charges Laid Against Surrey's Chandanjot Gill And Munroop Hayer

Alleged Case Of Road Rage Prompts Criminal Charges Against 37-Year-Old man On Vancouver Island: RCMP

  COMOX, B.C. — Mounties on Vancouver Island have arrested a 37-year-old man over what they say is an apparent case of road rage.

Alleged Case Of Road Rage Prompts Criminal Charges Against 37-Year-Old man On Vancouver Island: RCMP

Expert Drops Out Of 'Biased' Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Review

Expert Drops Out Of 'Biased' Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Review
Robyn Allan, former CEO of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, says she is withdrawing as an expert intervener because the panel is biased and the outcome is predetermined.

Expert Drops Out Of 'Biased' Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline Review

University Of B.C. Gives 95-year-old Practising Lawyer Honorary Doctorate

University Of B.C. Gives 95-year-old Practising Lawyer Honorary Doctorate
VANCOUVER — Sixty-four years after she walked across the stage to collect her law degree, Constance Isherwood was back at the University of British Columbia for yet another ceremony.

University Of B.C. Gives 95-year-old Practising Lawyer Honorary Doctorate

Victoria Man Wants Pit-Bull Cross That Mauled His Small Dog Destroyed

Victoria Man Wants Pit-Bull Cross That Mauled His Small Dog Destroyed
Paul Johnston says his three-year-old Maltese-poodle cross named Cooper was attacked during a hiking trip northwest of the city.

Victoria Man Wants Pit-Bull Cross That Mauled His Small Dog Destroyed