Local farmer plans ahead to protect his crops in case of drought.
Laura Allen
Kicker
Philip Thornley owns Campbellton Berry Farm in Campbellton in Notre Dame Bay. Like so many farmers, he’s battling drought brought on by climate change.
His crops weren’t as plentiful as they were in years past.
He says conditions like hot weather and low water levels were something they had in mind when making the farm.
“Many years ago, we realized this was a possibility and we put in an extensive system of ditches, ponds, plus irrigation to irrigate our high-value crops,” said Thornley.
The year has been unusually dry and hot with the mercury peaking far beyond norms in many areas. Cities and towns have seen their water supplies plummet. It was also the year of wildfires which saw hundreds of residents displaced and hundreds of homes lost.
“Most years you’re OK, but a year like this one where it was so hot and dry it’s resulted in a drop in yield.”
The summer of 2016 was the opposite and some areas of the province experienced a wet summer.
“In 2016, we had a pretty good year on fruit crops and I remember saying ‘welcome to the Niagara peninsula.’ This year I’m starting to think ‘welcome to the Nevada desert’ instead.”
“If water levels continue to drop, we are going to have to think about investing in irrigation even for crops like hay.”
-Phillip Thornley
Unseasonably hot temperatures over the summer mixed with low rainfall has left Newfoundland with extremely low water levels. If trends continue this way and winter is mild with little to no snow, there could be trouble. Water evaporates from rivers, reservoirs, ponds and the ground faster when the weather is hotter. If it doesn’t rain, there is nothing to replace the evaporated water meaning these bodies of water will shrink. It also creates dry conditions where wildfires thrive.
If winter doesn’t have a lot of snow, called a snowpack, that means there will be less water. When snow melts the water seeps into the ground and runs into rivers. This could cause future problems like more wildfires, lack of plants and vegetation and it even creates unfavourable living conditions for aquatic creatures. The warmer water is, the less oxygen the water can hold. Conditions like these are not ideal for certain fish. Atlantic salmon need cold water with a lot of oxygen to thrive.
Consequences of the dry weather has led some municipalities in the province to ask residents to conserve water. The town of Torbay asked residents to be mindful of how much water they use and say that the efforts are making a difference.
Christine King is a resident of Torbay and she has an artesian well but is mindful that not everybody has one. Artesian wells are different from normal wells because they are dug deeper into the ground meaning there is a more consistent water source than from a regular well.
King says she has been making an effort to reduce the amount of water she uses.
“It has not affected my family, but I know some people who have experienced a water shortage,” said King.
She says that the ponds are visibly smaller in size too.
“I’ve been making sure to not waste any extra water. Turning it off when brushing my teeth, not letting the tap run and only using appliances like the washing machine for full loads.”
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