summer

B.C. at high risk of province-wide drought this summer, authorities warn

B.C. at high risk of province-wide drought this summer, authorities warn

"What we've seen now from the past month of heat is that the high-elevation snow is rapidly depleting," said Jonathan Boyd, a hydrologist with B.C.'s River Forecast Centre. "We're on pace to be the earliest snow-free that the province has recorded. "We've had just a phenomenal melt so far, and where it's a little bit scary is … we're moving into this year in a really precarious position."

Century-old treaty stops Alberta farmers from using Milk River for much of the summer

Century-old treaty stops Alberta farmers from using Milk River for much of the summer

The Milk River looks great right now, according to farmer Elise Walker. It's high, it's flowing and it's fairly clean. For now, she and about 30 to 40 other families in southern Alberta can continue using the water to irrigate their farms, helping to get them through a very dry spring. In fact, Walker already started to irrigate her 607 hectares (1,500 acres) of land at the end of March — the earliest ever.