B.C.'s low snowpack and early melt signal drought, raising concerns for hydro power

Brenna Owen · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 12, 2025 6:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

Drier, warmer upwind successful overmuch of British Columbia past period has contributed to an aboriginal melt, raising interest for wide drought this summer, the province's latest snowpack and h2o proviso bulletin says.

The drought, successful turn, is curtailing B.C.'s quality to make hydroelectricity, wherever astir of the province's powerfulness comes from, said erstwhile provincial situation curate Barry Penner, who present chairs the Energy Futures Institute.

Penner said B.C. is connected way to go a nett importer of energy successful 2025, buying it from the United States, for the 3rd consecutive year.

The powerfulness spread comes arsenic U.S. President Donald Trump is threatening Canadian sovereignty, and aft Trump slapped steep tariffs connected Canadian goods, Penner said.

"We person idiosyncratic successful the White House who's actively threatening our country, economically," helium said successful an interrogation connected Monday.

"And close present successful B.C., it's america connected the receiving extremity of [electricity] from the United States. It's not the different mode astir connected a nett basis."

Penner likened snowpack to "electricity successful the bank." In times of drought, helium said B.C. Hydro holds h2o successful its reservoirs truthful it's determination during highest periods.

"They're holding backmost and importing to marque up the difference."

The latest provincial bulletin shows the snowpack was an mean of 71 per cent of mean arsenic of May 1, decreasing from 79 per cent of mean connected April 1.

The fig is somewhat higher than past year, erstwhile B.C.'s snowpack was an mean of 66 per cent of what would beryllium mean connected May 1.

By aboriginal May, the bulletin said astir 5 per cent of B.C.'s yearly snowpack has typically melted, but 15 per cent had melted by the commencement of this month.

The debased snowpack, aboriginal snowmelt and lukewarm seasonal upwind forecasts each constituent to "elevated drought" this summer, the bulletin concludes.

Rivers connected Vancouver Island, the South Coast and successful northeastern B.C., wherever snowmelt is not a important contributor this spring, are flowing "at oregon adjacent grounds debased levels for aboriginal May," the bulletin notes.

Penner said drought is simply a origin successful B.C.'s declining energy generation.

"If you look astatine B.C. Hydro's yearly reports, you tin spot it. We've had a important simplification successful however overmuch energy we're really making."

It coincides with increasing request for power, Penner said, noting highest request successful the summertime is expanding arsenic much radical bargain aerial conditioners.

WATCH | Provincial information shows B.C.'s snowpack astatine astir 72% of normal: 

The B.C. authorities announced past week a 2nd telephone for powerfulness that would travel from renewable sources with a people of generating up to 5,000 gigawatt hours of vigor per twelvemonth — conscionable nether the 5,100 gigawatt hours the monolithic Site C dam successful bluish B.C. is expected to generate.

It follows a telephone for powerfulness successful 2024, which resulted successful the confirmation of 10 caller renewable-energy projects partially owned by First Nations.

Penner said quality of the 2nd telephone truthful soon aft the archetypal is simply a awesome the authorities is alert determination is simply a "serious issue" and it's trying to respond.

Still, Penner said it volition instrumentality immoderate years for the projects to travel online.

In the meantime, helium said B.C. should look astatine measures to curtail energy demand, specified arsenic removing oregon moderating electrical conveyance mandates and utilizing earthy state alternatively than American energy to capable the gaps.

The snowpack bulletin notes that outpouring and summertime temperatures and precipitation volition besides beryllium cardinal factors that volition power drought conditions.

Seasonal upwind forecasts from Environment Canada successful precocious April bespeak a greater likelihood of above-normal temperatures successful B.C. done July, it said.

The bulletin said May is forecast to beryllium wetter than mean successful parts of bluish B.C., portion it's expected to beryllium drier successful the south.

Snowpack levels connected May 1 were nether 60 per cent oregon "well below" mean successful the Upper Fraser West, Lower Thompson, Nicola, Bridge, Skagit, Central Coast, Similkameen, and Skeena-Nass basins, the bulletin said.

There is nary elevated flood hazard based connected the existent snowpack. However, successful areas with debased snowpack, the bulletin notes cardinal flood risks displacement toward dense rain, either short-duration events oregon prolonged periods of bedewed weather.

"It is important to enactment that May and June are bedewed months done the B.C. Interior with the imaginable for utmost precipitation patterns," it said, adding the flood play tin widen into July successful the Rockies and the northeast.

"Therefore, precipitation poses a flood hazard done the outpouring adjacent with constricted snowpack," the bulletin said.