Heading for a dry spring in Bragg Creek and area
As you’ve probably heard or seen in the news, things may get extremely dry as this year moves on.
The signs of drought have been around us for a while. We’ve had a series of dry seasons, the Elbow River has seen record low levels, and we’ve had much less snowfall this winter than we’d want.
Alberta is currently in water shortage management stage 4 (out of 5), meaning water shortages are already in evidence in parts of the province, and the provincial government is working to ensure water is managed and conserved effectively where it can be.
According to the Alberta government website, “without sufficient precipitation, the province faces the risk of a significant drought in 2024”.
The questions we should all be thinking about now are: how much of a problem will it be and how long will it last?
Measurements and monitoring have been ongoing locally and experts have been keeping a close eye on levels in the river, levels in wells on residential properties, and on groundwater levels. All are low. *
In the short term we may be able to expect some relief by the end of 2024, according to a report by U of C Professor Masaki Hayashi, as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) moves on. We all hope this will be the case, of course.
Longer term, because of the way multiple weather and climate patterns interact over the Pacific, it’s possible that we’re headed for a very dry few years coming up. What happens depends on longer climate patterns, which are becoming harder to predict as climate change progresses.
What will this mean for us in the short-term future?
Three main things:
- There will very likely be budworms because conditions will definitely favour them
- We need to be serious about fire-smarting around our properties if dry conditions persist
- We will probably have water shortages, given the already low water levels.
For properties with wells the first thing to do is check water levels in your well. Call in a specialist if you aren’t sure of how to check this yourself. One course of action may be to buy a cistern in which to store drinking water.
Homes supplied with water on the town system will be notified of measures by RVC in the event of shortages. This is likely to occur at some point, as levels in the Elbow River are “historically low”.
There is some chance that we will have good spring rains, but this may not be as prolific as we’d like. So it makes sense to take sensible precautions and conserve water generally (all the usual things like taking shorter showers, using grey water where possible e.g. for plants, avoiding leaving taps running etc.)
The fact is that we can’t be sure how dry the spring and summer will be, and we may have a good rainfall, but the wisest approach is to be prepared.
You can see the January 2024 Groundwater Connections newsletter by following this link: http://groundwaterconnections.weebly.com/uploads/9/6/5/0/9650096/newsletter_jan2024.pdf
* For more detailed observations and data, please check our website regularly. Please consider becoming a member and supporting our efforts to protect our beautiful and diverse environment.
Check us out at braggcreekenvironmentalcoalition.ca
Contact us at info@braggcreekenvironmentalcoalition.ca
