DUNCAN – A well-loved farmstand and restaurant on Vancouver Island hopes a change in oversight of groundwater management will lead to a more collaborative approach to resolving licensing issues. Katy and John Ehrlich of Alderlea Farm on Vancouver Island have run their award-winning farm for more than 20 years, growing a variety of vegetables and …
Groundwater licence
No licence, no problem
Despite a growing number of areas in BC being elevated to Level 5 drought, the province has yet to issue fish protection or curtailment orders in response to low stream flows and the risk to aquifers. This also means that compliance activities have yet to shut down unlicensed groundwater users across the province, thousands of …
Groundwater users could lose rights next year
VERNON – This summer’s dry weather resulted in a record number of restrictions on water use across southern BC, underscoring just how tapped out some basins are. Salmon River remained at drought level 5 last month – the most severe under the province’s new six-tier drought rating system – even after the autumn rains arrived. …