UPDATED: Water restrictions tightened

With summer barely underway, Metro Vancouver has put further water restrictions in place due to hot and dry weather.

On Friday Metro Vancouver entered the second stage of a four-stage plan to deal with water shortages.

“We had lower than normal amounts of snowfall and precipitation this fall and winter, meaning there was less water available in reserve, and summer arrived in full force early this year,” said Township environmental coordinator Meaghan Norton Daniel. “The high water demand that comes with extremely hot conditions means that Metro Vancouver’s reserves are being depleted much sooner, and at a faster rate than normal.”

Seasonal lawn sprinkling regulations took effect on June 1.

Under the current regulations, watering lawns is permitted only in the mornings, and only one day a week.

Even numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns from 4 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday, while odd-numbered may sprinkle on Thurdays.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays commercial and other non-residential properties can sprinkle their lawns, with even numberd addresses Wednesdays, and odd addresses Tuesdays, from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m.

The lawn sprinkling restrictions only apply to grass, not to vegetable gardens or flower beds

Additionally, public and commercial fountains and other water features are to be shut down. Spray parks that have user-controlled buttons can stay open, which means Langley Township spray parks will still be operating.

The new restrictions also ban washing or pressure-washing driveways and sidewalks for aesthetic purposes. Washing pavement for health and safety reasons is still permitted.

Washing cars is allowed, if a spring-loaded nozzle is used.

Although locals on wells are still allowed to water as much as they want, the Township is encouraging everyone to cut back on water use. 

Some Township civic water comes from local wells which draw on the same ground water that private wells use.

Local municipal governments, including the Langleys, enforce the watering restrictions.

The last time Metro Vancouver implemented second-stage water shortage restrictions was in 2003. The water restrictions will remain in place until Sept. 30.