Metro Vancouver residents must now monitor their watering schedules as the regional district has put water restrictions into effect beginning June 1.
All 21 municipalities within Metro Vancouver must comply with the following water restrictions between June 1 and September 30, 2015:
Residential:
- Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4 a.m. – 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.
- Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4 a.m. – 9 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday.
Non-residential:
- Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1 a.m. – 6 a.m. Monday and Wednesday
- Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1 a.m. – 6 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday
- All non-residential addresses can also sprinkle 4 a.m. – 9 a.m. Friday.
New (unestablished) residential and commercial lawns, trees, shrubs, and flowers
- Sprinkling outside restricted times allowed only at the discretion of each municipality and with special permits to be displayed on lawn.
While water restrictions normally take place every summer, the region is currently coming out of an unusually warm and dry winter season, causing lower-than-normal snow packs and fresh water accumulation.
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Watering outside scheduled days and hours may result in a $250 fine if caught. Municipality officials will be monitoring residential and non-residential water use, and residents can also report offenders to their local governments.
Vancouver is currently at Stage 1 of water restrictions, but could move up to Stage 4 during the summer if water reservoirs cannot keep up with demand. Stage 4 prohibits all lawn watering, garden watering, refilling private pools, spas and garden ponds, public water play parks and pools, public and commercial fountains, surface washing, pressure washing, vehicle washing, watering golf courses, turf farms, artificial turf and tracks, school yards and fields and cemetery lawns.
Metro Vancouver states that as much as two billion litres of water a day are used in the region during the summer, mostly due to outdoor use. Restricting lawn watering to morning hours eases the demand for water during the evening when most people prepare meals, wash dishes, do laundry, take showers and perform other domestic activities.
One hour of lawn sprinkling uses as much water as 25 toilet flushes, 5 loads of laundry and 5 dishwasher loads combined.
The following municipalities reside in Metro Vancouver and are effected by water restrictions:
- Lions Bay
- Bowen Island
- West Vancouver
- North Vancouver District
- North Vancouver City
- City of Vancouver
- Electoral Area A (UBC)
- Burnaby
- New Westminster
- Coquitlam
- Port Coquitlam
- Port Moody
- Belcarra
- Anmore
- Richmond
- Delta
- Tsawwassen
- Surrey
- White Rock
- Langley City
- Langley Township
- Pitt Meadows
- Maple Ridge
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