Due to low water levels on Ootsa Lake, Ursa Minor Brewing company鈥檚 waterline froze. Currently, there is no water for brewing.

Nathan Nicholas Ursa Minor Brewing鈥檚 owner, brewer, and Southside resident said their brewery鈥檚 waterline, which had been frozen since Dec. 13, is several meters below the usual water level. He said this situation is affecting the family business.

鈥淔ortunately, I still have water at my mother鈥檚 home and mine.鈥�

Nicholas said they need 1500 litres of water to make one batch of beer, which is 500 litres.

鈥淲e need water for rinsing cans when we package. We also use the brewery system to get our sheep and pigs water.鈥�

With high hopes, Nicholas built a small greenhouse over the brewery鈥檚 waterline to defrost the ice. 鈥淪o far it hasn鈥檛 worked.鈥�

鈥淭hankfully, this is a slower time of year for beer sales. We have a good beer inventory from fall to get through the holidays,鈥� Nicholas said.

However, Nicholas has concerns about his busiest production time, which is summer. He worries that if the waterline remains frozen in March 2024, it will become a severe problem for his business.

According to Rio Tinto B.C. Works鈥� recent observation indicated that the water level at the Nechako Reservoirs, also known as Ootsa Lake Reservoir, is currently at 2792.14 ft., historically lower than the average for this time of the year. This is a result of the level three drought surge all over B.C.

At this moment, Nicholas is outsourcing from his home鈥檚 water source to meet the brewery鈥檚 production requirements. He is also doing the same for his domestic animals as well.