Today City Council approved a new Drinking Water Conservation By-Law to align with the Metro Vancouver Drinking Water Conservation Plan. Under the new by-law, watering restrictions will start on May 1 and allow watering two days a week, instead of three.
"There is increasing pressure on our regional water supply from growing population and climate change. Seasonal watering restrictions help us ensure we prioritize our treated drinking water for where it is needed most - cooking, cleaning, and drinking," said Daniel Roberge, Director of Water, Sewer and Green Infrastructure.
"Fewer watering days still allow for healthy landscapes and will help us make sure we have enough water to last through the dry summer months. As we reduce our per-person use of treated drinking water, we can potentially defer the need for expensive infrastructure expansion."
Permitted Watering Times (Stage 1)
Even with watering restrictions, Vancouver's water use doubles in the summer due to lawn and garden watering. Lawns in Vancouver generally need only one inch of water for one hour a week, including rainfall, to stay healthy and green. Residents can check their permitted watering through the VanConnect App or online at vancouver.ca/water-restrictions<http://vancouver.ca/waterrestrictions>.
Lawn watering days for residential addresses:
* Even-numbered addresses: 4:00am-9:00am on Wednesdays, and Saturdays
* Odd-numbered addresses: 4:00am-9:00am on Thursdays, and Sundays
Lawn watering days for non-residential addresses
* Even-numbered addresses: 1:00am-6:00am on Mondays
* Odd-numbered addresses: 1:00am-6:00am on Tuesdays
* All addresses: 4:00am - 9:00am on Fridays
Watering outside of the permitted times is a by-law offence. City staff are actively on patrol, and violations will result in a fine of $250-$1000.
The City and Park Board are also taking initiative to further reduce use of treated drinking water in public spaces, recreational facilities, and civic facilities. Initiatives include installing high-efficiency fixtures and controls, proactive leak detection and repair, increasing rain capture and reuse and improving irrigation efficiency.
Three easy ways to be water wise this summer
Minimizing outdoor water use is the single biggest thing residents can do in the summer to ensure treated drinking water isn't wasted.
* Check your irrigation system: To help residents adjust their irrigation systems, the City is running the Irrigation Assessment program again this year to walk residents through their watering system and make sure it is set to match water regulations free of charge. To learn more, visit vancouver.ca/irrigation-check<http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/is-your-irrigation-system-working-as-it-should.aspx>
* Buy a rain barrel: Save treated drinking water this summer and pick up a rain barrel at the annual Rain Barrel sale on May 6, 2018. To learn more, visit vancouver.ca/rainbarrel<http://www.vancouver.ca/rainbarrel>
* Let your lawn go gold: Do the simplest thing of all and let your lawn go gold, or dormant, through the summer. Even just one hour of lawn watering can use as much water as 25 toilet flushes, five loads of laundry, and five dishwasher loads combined.
For more information on how to be water wise all year, visit vancouver.ca/waterwise<http://www.vancouver.ca/waterwise>