Dawson Creek mayor, councillors discuss drought with premier as city renews ‘state of local emergency’ over water crisis

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — The City of Dawson Creek has renewed its ‘state of local emergency’ (SOLE) as representatives speak to the B.C. premier about the ongoing drought it faces.

The city’s main source of water – the Kiskatinaw River – is suffering low water levels, and the city estimates it has 182 days of usable water left. 

Therefore, the city announced in a news release on January 21st it has extended SOLE until February 3rd. 

It said this extension helps it secure access to alternative water sources, coordinate emergency response plans and mobilize resources if required. 

The city has been in SOLE since October 2025. 

As the city waits for the four of five permits it needs to lay overland pipelines along highway corridors, the city has enforced ‘stage three’ water conservation measures. 

The city has highlighted this project will only be a temporary fix until it gets approval for a permanent pipeline from the Peace River.  

However, after receiving push back from various organisations in its early engagement process about the permanent pipeline, the city said it expects to take a year to find a solution that fits the region.  

This comes as Dawson Creek’s mayor, Darcy Dober, councillors Kyle MacDonald and Mike Sudnik spoke to Premier David Eby about the city’s efforts to secure a different water source at the BC Natural Resources Forum currently taking place in Prince George.

The city advises residents to visit dawsoncreek.ca/emergency for more information.