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 …
WSA
Westwold producers challenge curtailment
Westwold producers rallied September 2 to challenge an August 15 provincial ban on irrigation for forage production in the lower Salmon River watershed east of Westwold. The order signed by BC Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston, was issued under Section 88 of the Water Sustainability Act with a view to protecting the anticipated fall Chinook …
Watershed security report
The province is asking for input on a new watershed security strategy that “will identify a role for all British Columbians in taking care of our watersheds within a broad provincial framework.” A discussion paper published January 25 makes scant reference to agriculture, but the ramifications for the sector are significant. The proposed strategy would …
Feeling the heat on water
DUNCAN – The province is facing pushback over its water management strategy following four fish protection orders this summer, a management tool that runs counter to its troubled groundwater licensing initiative. Two years ago, agricultural irrigators in the Kokilah River watershed became the first to have water access curtailed under Section 88 of the Water …
Water licence angst
DUNCAN – It’s been more than three years since Ken Ellison applied for licences to draw water from the three wells on his farm in the Cowichan Valley as part of a new groundwater management regime introduced under the Water Sustainability Act in 2016. With water restrictions in his area becoming more common, the idea …