Canada: Gulf Islands’ water woes an ominous omen for the rest of drought-prone B.C.
Wells run slowly or even go dry as summer droughts become a common feature of islands life
By Derrick Penner
Vancouver Sun
Aug 15, 2023
Excerpt:
GALIANO ISLAND — At the northwest tip of Galiano Island, Tom Mommsen and Risa Smith have fine-tuned the drip irrigation system they recently installed in their sun-drenched garden to accomplish full watering of their tomatoes, peas and summer flowers in two five-minute bursts.
The automated system was a costly addition to their conservation efforts, which include metering their water, but the expense was worth it to Smith, an ecologist, because “it’s water.”
Southern Gulf Islanders have always known their water is a precious commodity as their supply depends on the deep, broken-rock aquifers that supply most of it.
In the second straight year of severe drought, worries are creeping in.
Wells that draw from those aquifers are running slower or running dry sooner in parched summer conditions. Changing, less-reliable patterns of winter rain in an era of climate change are raising fears about the ability of those aquifers to recharge themselves.
“There are pockets of people who are extremely concerned,” said Mommsen, a biologist and former science journal editor. Others, he said, don’t care. “Then there’s development pressure.”
Mommsen, who has lived on Galiano for more than 30 years, said the Southern Gulf Islands are a microcosm of the problems cropping up with extended drought elsewhere, making them a “canary in the coal mine” for the province when it comes to groundwater.
