The Water Supply Bulletin from the Ministry of Environment says that streamflow in some parts of B.C. are below normal but not in Grand Forks.

“Right now the water situation for (the Kettle and Granby rivers) is looking quite positive,” said Luanne Chew, a ministry forecast hydrologist with the River Forecast Centre.

“The gauge for the Granby River near Grand Forks is average flow for this time of year and for the Kettle River near Westbridge, water levels are above average.”

The area of the West Kettle at Westbridge is slightly below average, Chew says, but not “alarmingly so.”

The past winter in Grand Forks was warmer than usual with less snow but there was a fair amount of precipitation in the late spring and while locals might not have liked all the rain, it helped water levels.

“June was a wet month for the southern half of the province,” Chew said.

“It did put the river levels in a much healthier condition coming into the summer.”

She also says that the Automated Snow Pillow station operated on Grano Creek in the Granby River lost all of its snow in late-June but that is typical of the area around the station.

If conditions for the rest of the summer remain average, the forecast hydrologist says there shouldn’t be any concerns about drought or water restrictions but then again, it’s hard to gauge what will happen in the future.

“It’s hard to tell what the weather is going to do for the rest of the summer, so until we see we can’t really say.

“If the conditions continue to be normal, like they have been, then things should be fine.”

According to the Ministry of Environment’ bulletin, Grand Forks and most areas of the province are classified as Drought Level 1 or “normal for this time of year.”

Chew says that people still be mindful of water use and consumption though.

“As part of the province’s Living Water Smart program we always advise people to practice water conservation just as a best management practice general rule going forward at all times of year,” she explained.