Update on Community Water Supply and Emergency Overland Water Transfer

Dawson Creek, BC — The City of Dawson Creek is providing an important update regarding the community’s water supply and the ongoing efforts to address the prolonged drought conditions affecting the region through a short-term emergency overland water transfer.

Dawson Creek has experienced persistent drought conditions since 2020, culminating in a Level 4 drought designation in January 2024 when the Kiskatinaw River froze and water intake operations were temporarily halted.

Conditions worsened again in the summer of 2025, returning the region to Level 4 drought status and prompting the City to declare a State of Local Emergency (SOLE) on October 14, 2025. This declaration was necessary to ensure access to provincial resources and support for supplemental water as the community faced escalating water challenges.

Emergency Plans in Place

The City Team has been working hard to finalize our emergency operations plan, which includes a temporary overland water transfer. The work to complete this plan has intensified over the past few weeks in preparation for winter conditions and the heightened risk of the Kiskatinaw river freezing.

The emergency overland water transfer would be temporary. It would include running lay flat hose along highway corridors from the Peace River to the Dawson Creek water system- a solution that is supported by the Province.

The City team has applied for a short-term water use application to support the temporary transfer of water. The team, alongside consultants, are currently:

Completing the permitting process for the overland water transfer.

Preparing to mobilize and begin laying the temporary overland hose, enabling pumping operations to begin in early 2026 if and when water is needed.

Current Water Supply Status

With the recent snowfall, flows in the Kiskatinaw River have improved enough to meet the Total City Demand for daily water use. This allows levels in the reservoirs to be maintained for as long as possible without using them. 

While this provides short-term stability, the Kiskatinaw River is already beginning to freeze and the water level is much lower than previous years. It is essential to continue advancing both emergency and long-term water solutions.

Figure 1.0 Kiskatinaw River at Arras Intake - 2025 Kiskatinaw weir levels indicated in black

Continued Water Conservation Measures

The community has stepped up, reducing the average Total City Demand for daily water use through conservation measures. We encourage everyone to keep conserving water, as listed under Stage 3 Water Conservation Measures. The City team will continue to closely monitor conditions and finalize the emergency overland water transfer plan. 

We will provide further updates as this work progresses and as we navigate the ongoing regional drought. Previous emergency updates can be found at dawsoncreek.ca/emergency. Subscribe to receive emergency news in your inbox.

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Media Contact:

Communications Department

communications@dawsoncreek.ca