Stage 1 water restrictions begin this weekend; New West vows to crack down on rule breakers
Posted May 13, 2016 6:41 am.
Last Updated May 13, 2016 10:43 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
NEW WESTMINSTER (NEWS 1130) – You might want to give your lawn one more good soaking — Stage 1 water restrictions kick in across Metro Vancouver on Sunday.
After taking an education-based approach to enforcement last year, at least one city is getting tough on rule-breakers.
Because of complaints during last year’s drought, bylaw officers in New Westminster are getting their ticket pads ready.
“With regards to the unfairness of the fact that some were not complying, we have advised our staff to look at ways of making sure there is a better enforcement mechanism,” says Councillor Chuck Puchmayr.
“Some of the complaints we received were that most of the community was complying with the regulations and the water restrictions, but a few were not. And it didn’t seem that it was fair that some were complying and some were not. So, what we’ve asked our staff to do is be a little more diligent this time.”
Fines in New Westminster start at a $100 in Stage 1 and go up from there, as we hit higher stages.
Puchmayr says he knows some people will try to get around the rules. “Some people take chances and water in the wee hours of the morning or they’ll find ways of maintaining that type of a lawn.”
Those are the people bylaw officers will be looking for.
“If everybody did what that neighbour or that person was doing, we would have been in a very critical water shortage last year,” says Puchmayr.
“We just can’t have that happen.”
Under Stage 1 restrictions, lawn sprinkling is allowed for even-numbered residential addresses on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses are allowed to water their lawns during the same time frame on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday mornings.
For non-residential lawn sprinkling, that will be allowed at even-numbered addresses on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Odd-numbered addresses are permitted to water lawns on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. Both are permitted on Fridays from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Under Stage 1 restrictions, you are allowed to water gardens, shrubs, and trees. However, cars and boats can only be washed using hoses with spring-loaded shut-off nozzles.
