Effective today, July 9, Parksville and the District of Nanaimo move to Level 4 water restrictions as extreme drought continues on Vancouver Island. They are the first municipalities in B.C. to implement Level 4 restrictions.
The area in and around Nanoose Bay is expected to be most affected.
The City of Nanaimo remains at Level 2 water restrictions.
The decision was made in the City of Parksville and the District of Nanaimo after a reduction in emergency water storage levels, which could severely impact the area’s ability to fight a large fire or, after using water resources to fight fire, impact the ability to meet water requirements for residents and businesses.
Level 4 – Comprehensive Watering Ban includes:
- All outdoor sprinkling is prohibited including newly seeded and sodded lawns.
- Vegetable gardens, shrubs, trees and flowers are restricted to a hand-held container or a hose equipped with a shut-off nozzle. Drip-irrigation systems are allowed between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. (This does not include soaker, weeper hoses or micro-sprayers – drip irrigation only.)
- No washing of vehicles, RVs and boats.
- No washing of driveways, sidewalks, parking lots and exterior building surfaces.
- No filling of swimming pools, wading pools, hot tubs and garden pond water features.
At this time, Vancouver Island is ranked as ‘extremely dry’ drought conditions by the province. Environment Canada is predicting higher than normal temperatures and lower than normal precipitation to continue well into the fall. With hotter temperatures and almost no precipitation in the forecast, there is expected to be continued, unprecedented pressure on the water resources in the region.
With Level 4 watering restrictions, the District of Nanaimo and Parksville will strategically stop watering certain irrigated areas such as boulevards and traffic islands; however, major functional economic assets such as sports fields and significant trees will be preserved using the irrigation system which is in place. Significant changes to parks operations will be made to reduce water required for irrigation while balancing the needs for recreational users, tourism and to maintain public safety.
Most places with large patches of grass, such as golf courses, have their own private wells and do not need to comply to the water restrictions.
However, the District of Nanaimo and the City of Parksville are encouraging everyone to voluntarily conserve water.
Water restrictions do not affect businesses that rely on water to stay open, such as car washes, but businesses cannot water their lawns. Some car washes, such as Kerry’s Express Car Wash in Parksville, are voluntarily closing to conserve water.
Consideration will also be given to the possibility of a smoking ban in parks, the closure of some trails and other measures as may be necessary.
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