Taps turned off for some North Okanagan farmers due to water restrictions

The drought conditions in the Okanagan are hitting some farmers hard and some in the Vernon area have already hit their water limit.

It comes just over a month after farms in the Greater Vernon Water service area were told to cut their water use by 70 per cent among a swath of other restrictions.

The North Okanagan Regional District is shutting off water for agricultural properties that have used up their 30 per cent limit, according to a July 13 news release.

“When one user exceeds their allocation, it directly affects what remains available to others. Given the limited supply, it is absolutely essential that all users stay within their allocated volumes,” chair of the Great Vernon advisory committee, Bob Fleming, said in the release.

Fleming is also seeking meetings with provincial cabinet ministers to address both immediate and long-term water supply issues.

When the water limits were announced last month, the BC Fruit Growers’ Association said 70% reduction wouldn’t just risk this year’s yields, it was an “orchard survival issue.” It’s not clear who or how many have reached their annual water limit, but the region’s growing season can last until mid-October, depending on the crop.

The association has since met with regional district officials, but the dire levels in Greater Vernon reservoirs mean the regional district wants to cut overall water use by half of what is, by volume, the province’s largest water utility.

How many fines have been levied to agricultural and residential properties for breaching the water restriction rules isn’t clear.

It’s not just the North Okanagan that’s facing water restrictions.

The Black Water Irrigation District has implemented relatively minor water restrictions, while West Kelowna stepped up its response to stage three restrictions, meaning homeowners can only use lawn sprinklers once per week, for example.

Kelowna has varying and more mild restrictions, while Peachland stepped up to its level three response in mid-April.