Metro Vancouver water restrictions escalate as of Friday
Posted August 3, 2023 1:35 pm.
Stricter water restrictions will be in effect as of Friday across Metro Vancouver.
The region is moving to Stage 2 restrictions after what the district previously described as “continued high water demand and forecasted hot, dry weather.”
Stage 2 residential watering restrictions mean:
- All lawn watering is prohibited
- Trees, shrubs, and flowers can be watered by hand or using soaker hoses or drip irrigation at any time, or by using a sprinkler between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. any day
- Vegetable gardens can be watered at any time
- Aesthetic water features, such as fountains, cannot be filled or topped up
- Washing impermeable surfaces like driveways and sidewalks is prohibited, except in limited circumstances
The district says it usually delivers one billion litres of treated drinking water to Vancouver residents each day, but that number can increase by more than 50 per cent during the summer months.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District said late last month that, since the beginning of May, water usage in the region had been about 20 per cent higher than the same time last year. Daily water usage this year has been higher “every single day” compared to 2022, it added.
-With files from Charlie Carey
