A Township response to a complaint over watering a community park during the current water restrictions says the practice is allowed because public playing fields with natural grass “represent significant investments that can be lost if not irrigated.”
The email by Al Neufeld, the acting recreation, culture and parks division director, was sent to a Township resident who was unhappy to see how green the grass was at Noel Booth park on 36 Avenue near 200 Street despite the stage three water restrictions imposed by Metro Vancouver.
The exchange of messages was distributed to members of council and released to The Times with the name of the resident edited out for privacy reasons.
In his Tuesday, Aug. 25 response, Neufeld explained that watering of the playing fields was allowed under the Metro stage three rules and was necessary to keep them usable.
The playing fields at Noel Booth are built on 16” of sand and require regular watering “to maintain the the health of the turf and the safety of the playing surface” Neufeld said.
The watering during the warmer summer months is needed to “establish the strength of the turf fields so they can be open during the winter months for community soccer use and the spring months for baseball” he added.
He added Noel Booth also has its own well to water the east fields, reducing the amount of water it draws from the municipal system.