Metro Vancouver lawn watering restrictions coming

With spring in full swing and a hot, dry summer on the horizon, Metro Vancouver is set to bring in watering restrictions next month.

The regional district says, as of May 1, you’ll only be allowed to water your lawn once a week.

“With a low snowpack this year and every expectation of a hot and dry summer, it’s important that all residents make water conservation a priority,” said George V. Harvie, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors.

“Our water-use plans are carefully tuned to respond to climate change and public demand, and we rely in part on residents doing the right thing by not wasting treated drinking water on their lawns.”

As part of Stage 1 restrictions, residents and businesses will be allowed to water their lawns one morning each week on designated days, based on address and type.

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Officials say trees, shrubs, and flowers can be watered in the morning when using a sprinkler, or any time with hand watered or drip irrigation.

Restrictions do not apply to edible plants, nor do they apply to the use of “rainwater, grey water, any forms of recycled water, or other sources of water outside the regional and municipal drinking water supply system.”

Metro Vancouver points out summer water demand is generally driven by lawn watering, as well as other outdoor uses. It says an “outright ban on lawn watering” could be brought in if necessary.

“Last year, we had to ban lawn watering mid-summer because [the] use of our treated drinking water for outdoor use was too high,” said Malcolm Brodie, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Water Committee.

“This year, we’re hoping to avoid escalating restrictions for as long as possible, but it really depends on you. Let your lawn go brown this summer, and save water for where it’s needed most: cooking, cleaning, and drinking.”

Brodie adds there’s an “amazing amount” of perfectly good drinking water that’s “wasted” on lawns every year.

In terms of the penalties for defying lawn watering rules, Brodie says there can be monetary fines at an escalating amount.

He adds it’s often not di

“You can drive down the street after a few weeks of the restrictions and you pretty well know who’s been flaunting the rules,” he said.

“(Water) is a precious resource, it’s expensive to process it and to keep it to the high quality standard that we’re used to, we have to be very careful with it.”

Underlying drought conditions and the likelihood of a warmer-and-drier-than-usual spring this year have also elevated wildfire concerns across the province.

Metro Vancouver says, since late winter, it has “taken proactive steps to manage the water supply.” Those steps include starting seasonal dam and reservoir operations earlier.

The regional district says while snowpack is currently at 56 per cent of the historic average, reservoirs are expected to full by mid-May.

With files from Michael Williams.