Vancouver Has Strict New Rules To Follow When Watering Your Lawn & You Could Get Fined $250
They are in effect now!
Houses on a residential street in Vancouver.
The heat dome that Vancouver experienced last year has now sparked new rules for water conservation in the city and you could land a hefty fine of $250 if you're caught breaking them.
This summer you'll only be able to water your lawn once a week for an allotted amount of time in Metro Vancouver, due to the changing climate.
A release from the City of Vancouver outlined the new rules and said that they will start on Sunday, May 1. It's not just for this year either, but now in effect annually from May 1 to October 15.
The goal of the strict new rules is to reserve enough water for drinking and doing essential tasks like cooking.
"Last year’s ‘heat dome’ led to 1.795 billion litres of potable water used in one day across our region — just shy of the all-time record of 2 billion litres used. This experience demonstrated that greater commitment to water conservation was needed," the release said.
It added that the water systems in the area were made for historical weather patterns, with rain and snow. With climate change though, the patterns are changing and more water is needed.
The release also said that "the region is becoming more susceptible to droughts and there is less potable water available each year."
New Rules
For Stage 1 of lawn watering restrictions, lawns can be watered one day per week. If you are manually watering the lawn, you have a limit of three hours to do it. If you have an automatic system, it can water the lawn for two hours.
The city has also updated the rules for Stage 2 of lawn watering restrictions — which now bans lawn watering completely.
In Stage 1, you can only water your lawn during permitted times. If you water it outside of the times, then you could get a fine of $250 for a by-law offence.
Permitted times
For residential lawns, even-numbered addresses can water their lawns on Saturdays. Odd-number addresses can water lawns on Sundays.
Automatic systems can water lawns between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. on the permitted days.
Manual watering can be done from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The release added that you can water trees, shrubs, and flowers any day from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. if using a sprinkler, or any time if hand watering.
It also said that the restrictions do not apply to watering edible plants — so your garden is safe.
Non-residential lawns with even-numbered addresses are allowed to water lawns on Mondays, while odd-numbered ones can water on Tuesdays.
If the non-residential lawn has an automatic watering system, it can water the lawn from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Manual watering can be done from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m..