West Coast

Faucet frugality: Experts say B.C. residents need to conserve water now

Faucet frugality: Experts say B.C. residents need to conserve water now

It can be said that British Columbia is Canada’s two-season province, with West Coast living consisting of a cycle between rain and fire. Fire season has arrived and experts say it’s time to put your rainy day habits behind you. “All we can really do is adapt to more extreme drought,” said John Richardson, a professor in the department of forest and conservation sciences at the University of British Columbia. “We have to remember that same water is used for drinking, bathing, flushing, for fighting fire,” he said.

'The Blob' is back: Scientists track blanket of warm water off West Coast

'The Blob' is back: Scientists track blanket of warm water off West Coast

A large swath of warm water spanning thousands of kilometres from the Bering Sea to Mexico, nicknamed by scientists as “the Blob,” has returned to the West Coast, threatening marine life and fisheries. The Blob was christened in 2014, after a similar natural event that spanned two years devastated the salmon industry, damaged ecosystems and disrupted wildlife like whales, sea lions and crabs. “This is a massive pool… of warm water that’s in the Pacific, that is thousands of kilometres huge,” said senior climatologist for Environment Canada David Phillips on CTV’s Your Morning Tuesday. “This one stretches from the Bering Strait, the Bering Sea, right through the Gulf of Alaska, right through to California, British Columbia, and down to Mexico.”