THE AGE OF WATER SCARCITY

Does the Cowichan Valley have sufficient water to support more growth?

Or do our rivers run dry and our groundwater nose dive each summer, triggering Stage 2 and 3 water restrictions that dial back when we can water our lawns and gardens, and wash our trucks and cars? Do returning salmon struggle to survive because our rivers are too low? Are these faltering water supplies jeopardizing our safety because they reduce the water available to fight fires in our neighbourhoods and wildfires in our forests?

You already know the answer.

Yes, the Valley suffers from annually recurring water shortages that threaten what we hold dear. The Cowichan River, a Canadian Heritage River that sustained the Coast Salish people for millennia, has been brought to its knees at just 5 cubic meters per second of river flow this summer. An estimated 84,000 salmon and trout perished in the Cowichan River in 2023 due to low flows causing lethal temperatures. Water pressures are so low in some neighbourhoods that residents cannot take showers and flush the toilet – let alone run the laundry – at the same time.

How could this be?

Historically, the Valley has been blessed with ample rainfall, fertile soils and a mild climate well suited to sustaining a vibrant community with a diverse economy supporting an exceptional quality of life. But a changeable, hotter and drier climate has created a far more stressful environment. And, the upper watersheds have been heavily logged, leaving insufficient tree and vegetative cover to retain soil moisture and assure our streams run all summer. Erosion from logging and associated road building has increased sedimentation of the Cowichan and Chemainus rivers, filling them with gravel instead of water.

Like everywhere else, our water supply is limited to the safe annual yield of our ground and surface waters. Growth beyond that exceeds our watershed’s ability to support a full spectrum of water uses. Declining river flows and groundwater levels are already impairing our ability to store and deliver water sufficient to irrigate farms, provide water to commercial, residential and industrial uses, maintain lake levels and river flows adequate to support fish and wildlife, and supply fire flow to hydrants at all inhabited elevations.

Despite the importance of securing sufficient water to support all these uses, the Municipality of North Cowichan has not conducted a full-scale hydrological assessment of its ground and surface water supplies.

A proper assessment would:

• map the boundaries of the two watersheds within North Cowichan,

• examine the quantity of precipitation that falls within each by month over the full range of water year types (critically dry, dry, normal, above normal and wet),

• measure the outflow from these watersheds to the ocean during each year type,

• total the quantity of water stored both on the surface and in the aquifers within each watershed,

• calculate the volumes and flows needed to support a full range of fish and wildlife as well as the human population, and

• evaluate our infrastructural capacity to serve our needs through the planning horizon of the Official Community Plan.

A proper study would examine the health of each stream and river to determine whether it was aggrading from the addition of sediment eroded from upstream reaches and formerly forested uplands caused by careless or excessive logging, road building and other forms of large-scale surface disturbance, or losing water from excessive groundwater pumping.

We can see that the lower Cowichan River has aggraded up to six feet deep as swimming holes near the Trans-Canada Highway Bridge have filled in, leaving fish nowhere to escape the summer heat, or hide from predators. Highschoolers who used to jump off the bridge in summer to plunge into the river’s deep pools now encounter a thick gravel bar where diving or even swimming are blocked. In the space of one generation, we have seen the Valley lose this iconic symbol of its simple, natural charm. As young people lose their connection with Nature – and each other, as a community – we all suffer.

A watershed study would also measure groundwater levels at representative locations throughout the year, and identify the river segments where groundwater is higher than and thus replenishes river levels – a “gaining” river – and where river levels are higher than groundwater and thus replenish it – a “losing” river. Such studies are essential in pinpointing where surface and groundwaters are diverted or pumped out for domestic, industrial and irrigation uses, and how the hydrological system responds to those demands. To determine trends, water levels over time – longitudinal studies – are also necessary.

To undertake this essential review, qualified hydrologists must be retained, assignments identified and supervised, and specific protocols governing the investigation adopted. The needs of fish and wildlife will require consultations with qualified terrestrial and aquatic biologists, and with Cowichan Tribes, and the demands of future human population growth will need to be realistically projected by urban planners and agronomists. After essential information is gathered, hard decisions will need to be made as to what additional growth, if any, can be safely accommodated, and how, and where.

Our community cannot plan for the future by relying on yesterday’s information.

We cannot continue to bury our collective head in the sand of denial. It is time to roll up our collective sleeves and face this crisis directly and honestly. It is past time to speak out, and demand answers from our local and provincial governments, and those running for office. This fall’s election will provide our voters with the opportunity to do just that.