Stage 1 water restrictions to begin Monday: City of Kelowna

The City of Kelowna is moving to Stage 1 water restrictions starting Monday, July 12.

According to the city, the move is in response to the region’s hot and dry conditions, along with provincial drought declarations and a persistent, high-level demand for water throughout the city.

Notably, the city said the restriction does not apply to agricultural customers served by non-potable irrigation.

“We’ve seen hot weather and very little rain in the past few weeks and that trend is predicted to continue through the summer,” said city water operations manager Andrew Weremy.

“The change to Stage 1 restrictions is a response to the weather and a call for Kelowna residents to be extra vigilant in limiting their water use. The reality is that we don’t know how long drought conditions will last, so we need to be prudent.”

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Stage 1 watering restrictions are addressed based.

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Odd-numbered addresses

Automatic irrigation systems

• Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

Manual sprinkling and garden watering

• Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

Cleaning outdoor surfaces

• Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays

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Even-numbered addresses

Automatic irrigation systems

• Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays

Manual sprinkling and garden watering

• Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays

Cleaning outdoor surfaces

• Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays

Further, the city says watering restrictions and designated watering times include:

• Manual sprinklers and handheld watering can be done between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., or 7 p.m. and midnight on designated days.
• Automatic sprinklers may operate between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. on designated days.

“We encourage shortened early morning run times to help reach our objectives,” said the city.

The city says watering household lawns and gardens accounts for approximately one-quarter of residential water use in the Okanagan, “making it an excellent area for conservation.”

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“Stage 1 restrictions are intended to reduce total and peak water use by 10 percent,” the city said.

“A downward trend in water consumption will ensure the City Water Utility can continue functioning normally, reduce the risk of tighter restrictions in the future and ensure our water resources are secure for generations to come.”