Special Bulletin

Temporary Protection Orders in the Salmon River watershed

This special bulletin provides an update on drought conditions and water levels in the Salmon River watershed only

Overview

Water flows in the Salmon River watershed, in the Thompson Okanagan region, have fallen far below what fish and aquatic life need to migrate and survive. Recently, the Province asked water users to voluntarily reduce how much water they were taking, and producers responded by adopting a coordinated irrigation schedule to significantly reduce agricultural water use. Despite these significant efforts on the ground, flows have continued to worsen due to ongoing severe drought and are now at their lowest ever recorded, with continued warm and dry weather in the forecast. In response, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship has issued a Fish Population Protection Order for the Salmon River watershed, effective July 28.

The Order requires that irrigation of forage and grass crops, including grass/legume, alfalfa/grass, and corn, must stop as of July 28. Irrigating non-forage crops such as vegetables, fruit, and nursery containers may continue. The Order also requires that lawn, fairway, and garden watering must stop as of this date.

In total, 456 surface water and groundwater licences and transitioning groundwater users in the Salmon River watershed are affected by this order. Affected users will receive a copy in the mail soon. The Order takes effect on the date shown in the Order, not when the letter arrives.

See the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship’s Information Bulletin for more details and contact information.

Figure 1: Map of the Salmon River watershed, in the vicinity of Salmon Arm

What you should know about Fish Population Protection Orders?

• A Fish Population Protection Order is a regulatory tool under the Water Sustainability Act. It temporarily suspends the rights of water users to draw water from a stream, its tributaries, and connected groundwater sources in order to protect fish. These orders are only used as a last resort, after other steps have already been taken to protect streamflows (for example, voluntary reduction requests, investigations into unauthorized water use, orders to release stored water into streams).
• Fish Population Protection Orders do not follow the “First in Time, First in Right” (FITFIR) rule. This means older water licences are not given priority over newer ones. The goal is to restore flows as quickly as possible to protect the survival of at-risk fish populations.
• When choosing which legal tool to use, the Province considers both scientific data and the economic and social impacts on the community. In some areas, applying FITFIR could cut off drinking water or livestock water supplies. All of these factors are weighed before a decision is made. See the Water Use During Scarcity webpage to learn more about the tools the Province can use during water shortages.

How are farmers and agricultural water users considered in a Fish Population Protection Order?

• By law, the Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship must give “due consideration to the needs of agricultural users” before issuing a Fish Population Protection Order (Water Sustainability Act, Section 88). The Ministry of Agriculture and Food provides information about possible economic and other sector impacts to help inform the Minister’s decision.
   
• All licensed or authorized water uses in the watershed are reviewed when considering a Fish Population Protection Order. Agricultural water users (e.g., those irrigating) are not specifically targeted, but they may feel impacted more than others because some water uses have been left out of the Order, either to reduce the total impact to the community (e.g., drinking water supply, livestock watering, high-value perennial crops) or because stopping them is not expected to have a big impact on improving streamflows.
   
• In the Salmon River watershed, most water licences are held by agricultural users (mainly forage irrigation).

What are the current conditions in the Salmon River watershed?

Water levels in the Salmon River at their lowest ever recorded. Water flows are so low the survival of the endangered Chinook salmon population is threatened.

The graph above for the Salmon River near Salmon Arm (08LE021) station shows 2026 daily stream flow (solid black line), median streamflow (solid grey line), 2025 daily streamflow (dashed black line), the Fish Population Survival Threshold (FPST; dashed red line), and the historical streamflow percentiles (as of July 28, 2026), all in cubic meters per second (cms). The FPST is the level below which fish populations are at serious risk. While some flow recovery was observed recently related to voluntary water use conservation efforts and minor rainfall on July 25, flows in the Salmon River are still at their lowest on record and are below the FPST needed for migration and spawning. With continued hot and dry weather and little rain in the forecast, flows are expected to stay below the level considered critical for the survival of fish populations unless further action is taken.

What can agricultural water users do?

• If you have a storage licence and water available in storage, use your stored water instead of drawing directly from the stream or well while the Order is in effect.
   
• Apply for an interim AgriStability payment of up to 75% if they are enrolled for the 2026 Program Year. Producers who are not currently enrolled for the AgriStability 2026 Program Year are now able to enroll as a Late Participant. For support with an AgriStability claim, enrollment, or questions please call 1-877-343-2767 or email AgriStability@gov.bc.ca.
   
• Contact their Production Insurance office and file a claim if they purchased coverage for the 2026 crop year.
   
• Find information and resources on drought and water management to help you respond to current conditions at the Drought in Agriculture webpage:
  • The Pasture and Hay Rejuvenation Factsheet has guidance on how to help overgrazed or drought-affected pastures recover.
  • The B.C. Livestock Drought Management Guide covers livestock feeding options, strategies, and how to think through business and financial decisions during drought.

Will agricultural producers lose their Farm Class status for not meeting the income threshold due to water restrictions?

• A single year of reduced farm income caused by drought or other extraordinary events does not necessarily mean a property will lose Farm Class. Farmers must earn a minimum amount of income from their farm operation in at least one of two reporting periods and make a sale of some qualifying agricultural product in every reporting period. So, if a producer cannot meet their threshold this year because of water restrictions, they would need to meet the threshold next year.
   
• BC Assessment cares most that the land is still being used for agricultural purposes, even if the income threshold for Farm Class status cannot be met.
   
• The Classification of Land as a Farm Regulation includes an Exceptional Circumstances provision that allows sales or production requirements to be waived when events, including natural disasters, beyond a farm operator's control make compliance impossible to meet.

Who do I contact if I have questions?

• Contact AgriService BC at AgriServiceBC@gov.bc.ca or 1-888-221-7141 for questions about farm supports (such as project funding, financial help, and drought resilience information), or to find out about upcoming workshops and events.
   
• For general questions about drought or the Province’s drought response, contact DroughtOps@gov.bc.ca.
   
• For questions about the Fish Population Protection Order in the Salmon River watershed, contact the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship regional water managers at WaterAllocation.DOS@gov.bc.ca.

 AgriserviceBC Website