Plans are underway for raising the weir: a reflection of widespread concern, says Ken Traynor

It’s likely a lot of Cowichan Lake residents think there’s plenty of water around for the summer of 2017, given the winter we’ve been having. But, according to Cowichan River watcher Parker Jefferson, “We’re just about where we were last year.”

The Cowichan River is lower than it was in August last year, after the long extreme heat and drought. There might not be enough water in the river for newly-hatched salmon to swim to the ocean.

The state's water worries mirror those in B.C. Record-breaking temperatures earlier this month and a below average snowpack have led to a faster snow melt in this province.

Salal bushes observed to be very dry and dying in British Columbia.

Some Western red cedars are struggling after repeated bouts of drought conditions and experts say expect the tree to vanish for good in spots with shallow, dry, rocky soil.

If it sounds unusual to have a drought in a rainforest, it is. Low snow and little rain combined to deliver an almost unprecedented drought to southern

Water levels are 5 feet below normal.

The Koksilah River is in trouble, with low flows threatening fish populations.

Many communities have gone weeks without rain this month

Researchers on Vancouver Island are studying fish they recently discovered that share genes of both coho and chinook salmon. The hybrid fish, are likely the result of drought in the Cowichan watershed, which has impacted when and where coho and chinook spawn.