“This is the number one priority for our community’s future,” Dober said. “This is about 50 years, 100 years down the road.”<\/p>\n
Dawson Creek and the Kiskatinaw watershed are currently classified under Level 3 drought conditions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Average seven-day streamflows\u00a0hit their lowest recorded levels\u00a0at the end of July, and the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship says that\u00a0despite a slight rise from recent rain<\/a>, they are “still [at] record lows for this time of year.”<\/p>\n Conditions aren’t any better in Bearhole Lake, a protected area in the eastern foothills of the Rockies that is the headwaters of the Kiskatinaw. Both depend entirely on seasonal rain and snow.<\/p>\n “We get two or three days of rain and the next day, there’s not even puddles around,” said Dober. “The ground is absorbing it quicker than it comes.”<\/p>\n WATCH | B.C. unveils new drought-tracking system:\u00a0<\/strong> B.C. unveils new drought-tracking system <\/p>\n As the driest summer months approach, the B.C. government has unveiled a new system to track and report drought conditions in the province. The program will show how much water a community has stored for use and how well rivers and creeks are flowing.Province working on emergency plans<\/p>\n In a written statement, B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) confirmed it’s guiding the city through the exemption review process, but that regulatory applications have yet to be formally filed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once submitted, the EAO says a 90-day engagement process with governments, First Nations and the public will begin. From there, the city will need to file a\u00a0detailed project description,\u00a0which the EAO says it will\u00a0review\u00a0before making a\u00a0recommendation\u00a0to the environment minister.<\/p>\n “The EAO appreciates the urgency of the situation, and is working closely with [the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship] to ensure a timely and transparent review,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n The spokesperson said the EAO is also working with the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness to “prepare for possible emergency response measures should drought conditions persist into the fall.”<\/p>\n “These efforts aim to support the City’s water needs while preserving environmental flows in the Kiskatinaw River.”<\/p>\n Planning for a drier future<\/p>\n Dawson Creek officials say the cumulative toll of the recent drought in the region\u00a0dates back to\u00a0the 2021 heat dome<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kevin Henderson is the city’s chief administrative officer and has been dealing with water\u00a0issues throughout most of his nearly 30-year career with the city.<\/p>\n While previous councils made smart investments in reservoirs and storage weirs to build capacity in the water system, he says today’s conditions are pushing the limits of that infrastructure.<\/p>\n “We never expected a four-year drought. We always thought we needed to get through a one-year drought, and so we invested in that direction,” Henderson said. “The system has been extremely resilient, but we believe we are at a bit of a tipping point now.”<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/kiskatinaw-river.jpg\")
The Kiskatinaw River near Dawson Creek in June 2023. (Andrew Kurjata\/CBC)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1754261411_458_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/dawson-creek-stock-generic-file.jpg\")
Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway is seen in Dawson Creek, B.C., in 2018. (Andrew Kurjata\/CBC)<\/p>\n