Metro Vancouver moving to Stage 2 water restrictions Aug. 4

Persistent drought conditions and above-average water use mean Metro Vancouver will soon move to Stage 2 water restrictions, the regional district announced Friday.

The restrictions, which prohibit all lawn watering, will come into effect on Friday, Aug. 4.

“Use of our treated drinking water remains higher than average, and with more hot weather on the horizon, we are taking this proactive step to ensure that our region’s 2.8 million residents will have enough drinking water for essential uses for the rest of the dry season,” said Delta Mayor George V. Harvie, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Board of Directors, in a statement.

Lawn watering is the biggest source of water consumption outside the home, according to Malcolm Brodie, chair of Metro Vancouver's water committee and mayor of Richmond. 

“I don’t want to overemphasize or be overdramatic and say this is life or death, but conservation right now is very important,” said Brodie.

Stage 1 watering restrictions – which allow lawn watering only on Saturdays or Sundays, depending on the address – have been in place since May 1.

“I think we can count on seeing these kinds of restrictions every year with the climates being warmer,” said Brodie.

Last week, Metro Vancouver spokesperson Don Bradley told CTV News some people were "clearly not abiding" by those rules, citing the region's peak water usage of 1.56 billion litres, which happened on Wednesday, July 5. 

The regional district says it typically delivers about one billion litres of treated drinking water per day, though that number can increase more than 50 per cent during the summer "largely due to lawn watering and other outdoor uses."

Since the start of May, water consumption across the region has been about 20 per cent higher than it was last year, according to Metro Vancouver, which says every single day has seen more water used than its counterpart in 2022.

“Consistent, above-average temperatures combined with high water demand have put extra pressure on the water supply,” said Malcolm Brodie, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Water Committee, in the statement.

“Water conservation is imperative, and everyone must do their part. The number one thing residents can do is reduce their outdoor water use.”

While lawn watering is banned under Stage 2 restrictions, other watering remains allowed. According to Metro Vancouver:

• Trees, shrubs, and flowers can be watered by hand or using soaker hoses or drip irrigation at any time, or by using a sprinkler between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. any day
• Vegetable gardens can be watered at any time
• Aesthetic water features, such as fountains, cannot be filled or topped up
• Washing impermeable surfaces like driveways and sidewalks is prohibited except in limited circumstances

The last time Metro Vancouver moved to Stage 2 water restrictions was in 2015, when conditions were relatively dry and there was a low snowpack.  

Brodie said conditions this year aren't as dire, but that restrictions are still necessary to prevent things from getting worse over the summer. As it stands, he doesn't believe Stage 3 restrictions will be declared. 

Stage 2 restrictions are expected to be in place until mid-October.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Abigail Turner