Vancouver has issued $71,750 in fines for violating watering restrictions since May 1

Bylaw officers have issued tens of thousands of dollars' worth of fines for violating Vancouver's watering restrictions since they came into effect in the spring.

The city's engineering department confirmed 287 tickets – each incurring a fine of $250 – had been handed out as of July 9. That adds up to $71,750 in fines issued since May 1, when the restrictions were put in place.

Officers also issued 395 warnings educating residents on the need to reduce unnecessary water usage.

The City of Vancouver's seasonal watering restrictions are intended to conserve drinking water during the dry summer months, and are scheduled to remain in place until Oct. 15.

"Even with watering restrictions, regional water use almost doubles in the summer due to lawn and garden watering," according to the city's website.

"Our water system was built to work with annual patterns of rain and snow in our climate, but our climate is changing and our need for water is growing. With summer demand for drinking water increasing, and fewer rainy days, the region is becoming more susceptible to droughts and less available drinking water each year."

Vancouver is currently under Stage 1 watering restrictions, which allow residents to water their lawn once per week during set times. People with an even-numbered address can use automatic watering from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Saturdays, or manual watering from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Those with an odd-numbered address can water on Sundays using the same limited hours.

Trees, shrubs and flowers can also be watered with a sprinkler any day, though sprinklers can only be used between 5 a.m .and 9 a.m. Residents can water by hand or using drip irrigation at any time.

This week, the B.C. government began urging people across the province to do their best to conserve water, even beyond what is required by local watering rules, warning that many areas are seeing drought levels much earlier in the year than usual.