Drought conditions lead to water restrictions in Merritt

Aug 25, 2017 | 5:04 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — The Coldwater River watershed, which contributes to the city of Merritt’s water supply, has reached a Level 4 drought rating. 

This has prompted the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development to ask for a voluntary reduction of water use. 

It’s a suggestion Merritt is heeding. 

“We’ve voluntarily reduced our own consumption, we’re asking residents to reduce our watering to once a week,” Merritt’s Chief Administrative Officer Shawn Boven said. “We’re not washing vehicles unless it’s in a proper wash bay, commercial car wash, we’re hand watering plants.” 

The municipality has also stopped watering city parks. 

Area rancher Lou Cooke says the city should have been conserving water long before now. 

“It’s too late now maybe to worry about it because the aquifer is already drained,” Cooke said, “but if you’d not had to pump as much way back in June maybe the aquifer would not be down as far.” 

Cooke’s ranch is located south of Merritt on Coldwater Road, an area he says isn’t seeing the same kind of water loss as Merritt. 

“Up here the Coldwater is gaining water from the land, it’s groundwater that’s in the land around it,” Cooke said. “Through our place and toward town it gains, maybe not a hell of a lot, but once it gets near town it’s the other way around. The water is coming out of the Coldwater and going into the ground, and that is because there’s a Coldwater aquifer in town that is being pumped by town and they’ve pumped the level of the aquifer down.” 

Cooke has voluntarily shut off his irrigation. 

“It is a loss,” he said. “We’re about three weeks from third cutting, and if I lose a ton an acre that does add up. If I did lose a ton of acre off of this place here that would mean almost two months hay for my cows.”

Fish populations have also been threatened, especially through Merritt where the river level reaches a concerning level on a regular basis. 

“Lately it seems like we’ve been experiencing it annually,” Boven said, “and I suspect it may be the result of climate change.” 

Whether climate change is to blame or not, Cooke says a contingency plan needs to be made. 

“I see the town, and I think they’re concerned too, and they would be interested in working with the farmers here to have another storage site,” Cooke said.