ALERTS:

For WATER EMERGENCIES after hours, call 250-868-5737.

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IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE - BMID DROUGHT STAGE 1 - ALL WATER USERS

EFFECTIVE JULY 16, 2021:

The Black Mountain Irrigation District is advising all customers that, as of today, we have moved to Stage 1 water restrictions for the entire District.  This includes all water users including agriculture.  The Stage 1 restrictions target a 10% reduction in overall water usage.  We have seen record high temperatures and consecutive number of days over 30 degrees C.   As it is only mid-July, and we don’t know how long this drought will last, cutting back all unnecessary water use is our first objective.  Although our upland storage reservoirs are currently at reasonable levels, we have had to release from them three weeks earlier than normal, so we have less available water than normal.  If this is the start of a multi-year drought, measures and reductions to manage for the long-term must be taken now.

For our domestic customers, a reminder of the odd-addresses to sprinkle on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and even numbered addresses on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.  Automatic sprinklers are to run between midnight and 6:00 am.  Manual sprinklers can be used between 6:00 and 10:00 am and again between 7:00 pm and midnight. 

For our agriculture and irrigation customers, the flow rate per acre for your parcel has not changed, but the total volume of water to your parcel is being reduced.  For most crops, there is still sufficient water allocated. Please check your sprinklers, nozzles and flow rates to make sure you are within your allocation.  BMID bailiffs will be patrolling the District to check on conformance.  If you have questions in this regard, please contact the office at (250) 765-5169. 

With historically high temperatures and very little precipitation this spring, our watersheds are in a state of extreme fire risk.   All activities and recreation in the back country should be deferred until such time that we see significant precipitation in the region. The Kamloops Forest Service has our watershed fire risk rated as “Extreme”.   BMID was extremely fortunate in that the BC Wildfire Service was able to contain the 3,300-acre Derrickson Lake fire in our watershed.  Our community is indebted to them.

For a copy of the Kelowna Coordinated Drought Plan / restriction measures, please click here.

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For our 2021 CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS, click here. 

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COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS:

The BMID Administration Office is open to the public. 

Public safety measures in place:  

• Enhanced daily cleaning/disinfection of high traffic and high touch areas 
• Hand sanitizer readily available to visitors 
• Plexiglass barriers installed at customer service points  
• Physical distancing signage
• Visitors limited to three at a time in the office lobby.
• Masks are required to enter the office. 

Ratepayers are asked to avoid non-essential visits to the Office and are encouraged to make their payments in the following ways whenever possible:  

•  Make payments online through their financial institution.  Payments can also be made in person at your bank if you provide your bill stub. 
•  Mail a cheque, or drop off a cheque through our mail slot. Please do not put cash through the mail slot.
•  Pre-Authorized payment forms are available on our website (see tab, Forms & Guidelines).

BMID Administration Staff will continue to answer your calls from 8:00am–4:00pm, Monday through Friday. Individual appointments can be arranged for development issues.

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