Graduation thrills Cowichan’s adult students Crew battles through to football’s Sun Bowl final
LIVING, Page 15 SPORTS, Page 26
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Friday, June 27, 2014
Low water levels threaten river, watchdogs warn LEXI BAINAS CITIZEN
Low water levels in Cowichan Lake combined with a forecast for a dry summer season means that watershed watchers are already anxiously watching for rain, while warning that the situation is likely to become dire by late summer. While it’s only June, things are bad enough that officials have already started to move fish. Rodger Hunter of the Cowichan Watershed Board said he and others remember the extreme years when water in the river fell to desperately low levels. “Remember 2003, the bad year that prompted a plan? We were below what’s called the Rule Curve. That means how the water will be allocated through the season, starting at the weir [in Lake Cowichan]. We’re well below the lake level that is required to allocate the water effectively unless it starts to really rain tomorrow,” he said.
“If you take the long projection to what our August might be, we’re going to be well down.” Hunter said the provincial government has been approached previously on issues like this but locally it’s time to start a water conservation program. “But conserving water isn’t going to be the whole nine yards,” he said. “One thing we have learned is that the river is linked to the aquifer. Water appears to leak through the river into the aquifer. So, we’re guessing if we save water locally, if there’s more water in the aquifer, then presumably less flows through.” Another aspect of their studies has been watching the weir because storage in Cowichan Lake is also part of the conservation picture. “The water has to be present,” he said. See OFFICIALS, Page 12
Inside: Canada Day pullout — page 9 Kiwanis Club pullout — page 17
Tossing their hats in the air from the school steps is an annual tradition for Lake Cowichan Secondary grads and this year’s class are as exuberant as their predecessors in giving a final farewell to their high school years. See page 30 for the beginning of our special feature on Cowichan’s graduates, showcasing one school in each edition. See page 25 for more Cowichan graduation photos. [LEXI BAINAS/CITIZEN]
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