WATCH: Officials say if Metro Vancouver gets down to 1.2 billion litres of water per day, we can avoid shortages in the fall. Geoff Hastings reports.
1.2 billion litres.
That’s the magic number officials with Metro Vancouver are monitoring. Average that for the summer, and our reservoirs will be – comparatively speaking – okay.
“If we can accomplish that as a region, than our reservoirs will hold us fine even with no precipitation for the next few months,” says Greg Moore, Metro Vancouver Board Chair.
Moore cautions that even with precipitation, that number is unlikely to change.
“We need substantial rain to even have a minor impact.”
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The region is tracking daily consumption for the entire summer and releasing the numbers publicly. While Metro Vancouverites came close to the magic number at 1.24 billion litres on Tuesday, we’ve only been lower twice this summer.
“It’s a finite supply and we need to make sure the demand matches the volume,” says Marilyn Towill of Metro Vancouver Water Services.
With Metro Vancouver moving to State 3 water restrictions this week, and increasing negative attention put towards that appear to be breaching those conditions, Towill is hopeful there will be more days near the 1.2 billion number sooner rather than later.
“It always takes a while, both for the message to get out to people, but also for us to see the impact,” says Towill.
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