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Bessette Creek, located about 480 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, has been described by provincial conservation officials as a “critical concern” for salmon conservation.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
A new water-restriction order has been placed on the Bessette Creek area in the southern Interior of British Columbia due to endangered chinook salmon being “at risk” as drought conditions persist.
A release from the B.C. Ministry of Land, Water and Resource Stewardship says ongoing severe drought conditions have cause record low flows in Bessette Creek in early July, threatening the local salmon population’s survival.
Bessette Creek, located about 480 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, has been described by provincial conservation officials as a “critical concern” for salmon conservation since low streamflows during spawning present a particularly high threat to the population.
The province says significant voluntary conservation efforts in the area have not provided the needed boost to water levels, prompting the ministry to issue the fish protection order that temporarily restricts water use for forage crops and certain mining and industrial purposes.
The ministry says 131 surface-water and groundwater license holders in the Bessette Creek watershed must stop using water for the irrigation of crops, harvesting, greenhouses, nurseries and well-drilling, effective Friday.
It also says the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is available to help producers with their questions or claims for those who suffer crop failures or income declines due to the drought.