Protecting Watersheds - Our Most Precious Resouce
09/02/22 06:20
Watersheds give life.
A Healthy watershed supports natural diversity and wildlife, provides clean water to drink, helps grow food, encourages tourism, and provides fibre for manufacturing.
Our communities depend on clean, healthy watersheds.
Global warming is now altering weather patterns and changing the conditions within BC's watersheds.
In British Columbia, the government has come up with a response to this pending crisis called the Watershed Security Strategy and Fund.
The first step is a discussion paper aimed at encouraging dialogue with stakeholders, such as First Nations and local communities.
These consultations will explore key themes, such as governance, climate change, ecosystems and sources of drinking water, as well as community and economic stability.
It's a step in the right direction, according to Tom Rutherford, Executive Director of the Cowichan Watershed Board on Southern Vancouver Island.
"I think this is a great idea and I think what the government is doing now, they've made a commitment and I think they should be applauded.”
The Cowichan Watershed Board, Rutherford notes, is one of the organizations that have been pushing the province for this kind of initiative.
"The idea is something that is really necessary and a lot of smart people have been working hard to make it happen, so I think the government's listening and I think they are taking a good approach in reaching out to First Nations, local governments, (and) hopefully groups like the watershed board to get some ideas on how this should work."
According to Rutherford, despite good intentions, watersheds have been used for the past century in ways that make them less resilient to global warming, and in many places, the climate crisis "is becoming a water crisis.”
He hopes that any new management model for watersheds will operate from the bottom up because, as he sees it, the people who live in the watershed are best placed to look after it.
Rutherford says senior levels of government need to empower local communities and provide the resources needed for the necessary changes because they are the most familiar with local watersheds and can lead the way in making them resilient to climate change.
Located on southern Vancouver Island, the Cowichan River is an important salmon spawning river and was designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 2003.
It is also considered one of the finest trout fishing streams in British Columbia.
In the summer of 2021, by the first week of July, a heat dome had increased the water temperature in the Cowichan River to above 24 degrees Celsius, something usually not experienced until late summer.
Higher temperatures may affect the growth of young salmon and their ability to smolt in preparation for life in salt water.
Rutherford says the rapid increase in temperature was shocking, but not unexpected in light of the heat-wave.
He believes young salmon were able to find refuge in places where cooler groundwater seeps into the river, or where groundwater-fed tributaries join the river.
He says such places in rivers are especially valuable and we need to be particularly careful to protect them.
According to Rutherford, paying attention to the riparian zones on either side of a river and its tributaries will contribute to keeping the water temperature lower and providing spots where fish can cool down.
By the end of August, the river's source, Cowichan Lake had fallen drastically and pumps were temporarily installed on the weir at the lake outlet to pump water into the Cowichan River and maintain the legally mandated flow rate.
The drought in the summer of 2021 also forced the province to order a halt to irrigation of forage crops, or diversion of water for industrial uses, in the nearby Koksilah River watershed until the end of September.
The Cowichan Watershed Board is undertaking a research project to study the changes happening in the Koksilah River, as well as the Chemainus River due to climate change.
The project is a partnership between Cowichan Tribes, the Halalt First Nation, and the Watershed Board, and is funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
Throughout the summer of 2021, two teams of researchers waded the length of the rivers making detailed measurements and gathering data on the habitat features.
The impact of climate change on the vegetation along the river banks was also measured.
Rutherford says it's important to understand what's needed to ensure the health of the rivers and the Salmon that return to spawn each year.
“Salmon need water and salmon need cold water, in the summertime, and enough of it, and we’re really seeing that as a major challenge.”
He says the yearly salmon runs "define us as a community, as a culture, and as a people, and they are threatened."
On Vancouver Island, global warming is expected to bring warmer winters with more rain and less snow, which will result in lower snowpacks to replenish streams and rivers with meltwater in the summer months.
There will be increased flooding in the autumn and winter, and the summers will be hotter and drier.
Rutherford warns that our ability to grow food, supply water to drink, maintain forests, and have jobs are all impacted by what happens in the watershed.
Following the announcement of the Watershed Security Strategy and Fund, the BC Green Party released a statement calling the program “a testament to the hard work of communities around the province, as well as the devoted water policy experts at UVic’s POLIS Project.”
Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley, says the weather events over the last year demonstrate the need for “urgent investment in our natural infrastructure, with particular focus on building ecosystem and community resiliency.”
She says watersheds are “deeply connected to our forests” and hopes to see more meaningful commitments by the government to conserve and restore forests in areas key to watershed stability.
A Healthy watershed supports natural diversity and wildlife, provides clean water to drink, helps grow food, encourages tourism, and provides fibre for manufacturing.
Our communities depend on clean, healthy watersheds.
Global warming is now altering weather patterns and changing the conditions within BC's watersheds.
In British Columbia, the government has come up with a response to this pending crisis called the Watershed Security Strategy and Fund.
The first step is a discussion paper aimed at encouraging dialogue with stakeholders, such as First Nations and local communities.
These consultations will explore key themes, such as governance, climate change, ecosystems and sources of drinking water, as well as community and economic stability.
It's a step in the right direction, according to Tom Rutherford, Executive Director of the Cowichan Watershed Board on Southern Vancouver Island.
"I think this is a great idea and I think what the government is doing now, they've made a commitment and I think they should be applauded.”
The Cowichan Watershed Board, Rutherford notes, is one of the organizations that have been pushing the province for this kind of initiative.
"The idea is something that is really necessary and a lot of smart people have been working hard to make it happen, so I think the government's listening and I think they are taking a good approach in reaching out to First Nations, local governments, (and) hopefully groups like the watershed board to get some ideas on how this should work."
According to Rutherford, despite good intentions, watersheds have been used for the past century in ways that make them less resilient to global warming, and in many places, the climate crisis "is becoming a water crisis.”
He hopes that any new management model for watersheds will operate from the bottom up because, as he sees it, the people who live in the watershed are best placed to look after it.
Rutherford says senior levels of government need to empower local communities and provide the resources needed for the necessary changes because they are the most familiar with local watersheds and can lead the way in making them resilient to climate change.
Located on southern Vancouver Island, the Cowichan River is an important salmon spawning river and was designated as a Canadian Heritage River in 2003.
It is also considered one of the finest trout fishing streams in British Columbia.
In the summer of 2021, by the first week of July, a heat dome had increased the water temperature in the Cowichan River to above 24 degrees Celsius, something usually not experienced until late summer.
Higher temperatures may affect the growth of young salmon and their ability to smolt in preparation for life in salt water.
Rutherford says the rapid increase in temperature was shocking, but not unexpected in light of the heat-wave.
He believes young salmon were able to find refuge in places where cooler groundwater seeps into the river, or where groundwater-fed tributaries join the river.
He says such places in rivers are especially valuable and we need to be particularly careful to protect them.
According to Rutherford, paying attention to the riparian zones on either side of a river and its tributaries will contribute to keeping the water temperature lower and providing spots where fish can cool down.
By the end of August, the river's source, Cowichan Lake had fallen drastically and pumps were temporarily installed on the weir at the lake outlet to pump water into the Cowichan River and maintain the legally mandated flow rate.
The drought in the summer of 2021 also forced the province to order a halt to irrigation of forage crops, or diversion of water for industrial uses, in the nearby Koksilah River watershed until the end of September.
The Cowichan Watershed Board is undertaking a research project to study the changes happening in the Koksilah River, as well as the Chemainus River due to climate change.
The project is a partnership between Cowichan Tribes, the Halalt First Nation, and the Watershed Board, and is funded by the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund.
Throughout the summer of 2021, two teams of researchers waded the length of the rivers making detailed measurements and gathering data on the habitat features.
The impact of climate change on the vegetation along the river banks was also measured.
Rutherford says it's important to understand what's needed to ensure the health of the rivers and the Salmon that return to spawn each year.
“Salmon need water and salmon need cold water, in the summertime, and enough of it, and we’re really seeing that as a major challenge.”
He says the yearly salmon runs "define us as a community, as a culture, and as a people, and they are threatened."
On Vancouver Island, global warming is expected to bring warmer winters with more rain and less snow, which will result in lower snowpacks to replenish streams and rivers with meltwater in the summer months.
There will be increased flooding in the autumn and winter, and the summers will be hotter and drier.
Rutherford warns that our ability to grow food, supply water to drink, maintain forests, and have jobs are all impacted by what happens in the watershed.
Following the announcement of the Watershed Security Strategy and Fund, the BC Green Party released a statement calling the program “a testament to the hard work of communities around the province, as well as the devoted water policy experts at UVic’s POLIS Project.”
Sonia Furstenau, leader of the BC Greens and MLA for Cowichan Valley, says the weather events over the last year demonstrate the need for “urgent investment in our natural infrastructure, with particular focus on building ecosystem and community resiliency.”
She says watersheds are “deeply connected to our forests” and hopes to see more meaningful commitments by the government to conserve and restore forests in areas key to watershed stability.