Water Use Restrictions
Local governments use 4 levels of watering restrictions as shown below. Note that private utilities are not managed by our system - please call your provider and inquire about their conservation program and possible water restrictions. Click here for a printable version of the water restrictions chart.
Watering Regulation Summary Table
The following regulations apply to the Town of Lake Cowichan.
Sprinkling and hand-watering is NOT permitted between 9:00am and 7:00pm. See the table below for water days and other restrictions.
Stage 1 Sprinkling 2 hours maximum, 2 days per week
Stage 2 Sprinkling 2 hours maximum, 1 days per week
Stage 3 NO SPRINKLING, Hand-watering / Micro or drip irrigation subject to daily maximum for food or ornamental gardens.
Stage 4 ALL USE OF WATER FOR ANY PURPOSE OTHER THAN DRINKING, FOOD PREPARATION AND PERSONAL HYGIENE IS SUBJECT TO STAGE 4
RESTRICTIONS. No sprinkling. Hand-watering, micro or drip irrigation subject to daily maximum for food or ornamental gardens.
Please check the local newspaper or each water provider's website during the summer months to see if Stage 2, Stage 3 or Stage 4 restrictions are in effect
|
STAGE 1
As Permitted |
STAGE 2
Provincial Drought Level 3 OR As Required1 |
STAGE 3
Provincial Drought Level 4 OR As Required1 |
STAGE 4
As Required1 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional Irrigation Systems and Sprinklers | ||||
| Lawns, Vegetable Gardens, Fruit Trees, Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Flower Gardens |
2 hours /day
Even Addresses - Wed & Sat Odd Addresses - Thu & Sun |
2 hours /day
Even Addresses - Wed Odd Addresses - Sun |
Not Permitted | Not Permitted |
| New Lawns 2 |
2 hours /day
Any Day Require Garden Irrigation Permit |
1 hour /day
Any Day Require Garden Irrigation Permit (Permits must be Obtained Prior to Stage 2) |
1 hour /day
Any Day Require Garden Irrigation Permit (Permits must be Obtained Prior to Stage 2) |
Not Permitted |
| Hand Watering, Micro / Drip Irrigation3 | ||||
| Vegetable Gardens, Fruit Trees | 4 hours /day | 4 hours /day | 2 hours /day | 2 hours /day |
| Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, Flower Gardens | 2 hours /day | 2 hours /day | 1 hour /day | 1 hour /day |
| Lawns | 2 hours /day | 1 hour /day | Not Permitted | Not Permitted |
| New Lawns2 | 2 hours /day | 2 hours /day |
1 hour /day
Require Garden Irrigation Permit (Permits must be Obtained Prior to Stage 2) |
Not Permitted |
| Other Outdoor Water Use | ||||
| Filling Pools and Hot Tubs | No Restrictions | No Restrictions | Not Permitted4 | Not Permitted4 |
| Washing Vehicles or Boats | No Restrictions | No Restrictions | Permitted Under Certain Circumstances5 | Not Permitted |
| Washing Driveways, Houses and Sidewalks | No Restrictions | Permitted Under Certain Circumstances5 | Permitted Under Certain Circumstances5 | Not Permitted |
| Sport Fields6 | Reduce Watering | Reduce Watering, Conservation Measures | Reduced or Eliminated Watering | Reduced or Eliminated Watering |
| Private Wells, Agriculture7 | Regulated by Pronvincial Government (Not Supplied from Community Potable Water Systems) | |||
Notes
1 Stage 2 and 3 restrictions will be imposed in conjunction with the corresponding Provincial Drought Code. Jurisdictions may move to a given Stage ahead of the corresponding Provincial Drought Code based on state of the water system.
2 Irrigation of new lawns must follow the restrictions for established lawns. If additional watering is required, a permit must be obtained at which point water restrictions for New Lawns must be followed.
3 Micro/drip irrigation delivers water to the root zone of the plants and uses less than 90 L/hr (20 imperial gallons per hour) at less than 25 psi. Weeper hoses are considered micro/drip irrigation, and are permitted; soaker hoses are not permitted. A weeper hose emits water through very small pores in the rubber; there is no water spray stream emitted from the hose, resulting in less evaporation than a soaker hose. A soaker hose has holes that are large enough to emit water as a spray stream, resulting in more evaporation than a micro/drip irrigation system or a weeper hose.
4 Pools filled prior to Stage 3 water use restrictions being implemented may be topped up to account for evaporation losses in order to avoid damage to pumps, etc. Municipal recreation facilities exempt.
5 For residential properties, washing driveways, houses or sidewalks is only permitted during Stages 2 and 3 in preparation for applying paints, preservatives or for pouring concrete. Residential washing (i.e. not at a car wash facility which reuses water) of vehicles and boats is only permitted in Stage 3 in preparation of applying paints or preservatives. Commercial enterprises which require water use to facilitate normal business activities are exempt from some Stage 2 and 3 water restrictions. These include nurseries, turf farms or tree farms, car wash / detailers, power washing companies, window washing companies, etc.
6 School and Municipal playing fields are often sand-based and require regular watering. For that reason they are exempt from sprinkling regulations. Regardless, efforts are made to reduce water use and the irrigation timings are adjusted to reduce evaporation and avoid times of higher water consumption.
7 If necessary the Provincial Government can require the curtailment of water use for private wells and for agricultural purposes.
Water Restrictions FAQ
These areas are often too large to be effectively irrigated within the allowed sprinkling times. Also, most playing fields are built on a sand base for better drainage. Turf grown on a sand base can die if not watered. Due to the high replacement costs of playing fields and large irrigated grass areas, the local governments currently believe it is poor use of public money to let it die due to lack of watering. Irrigation to turf is shut down in most municipal, community and regional parks during Stage 3 and Stage 4 watering restrictions. In addition, the your local governments are reducing the amount of irrigation to sports fields with limited use; however, fields must be maintained at an acceptable level to avoid liability concerns.
Residents can use a bucket, spring-loaded spray nozzle or micro/drip irrigation to water trees, shrubs and gardens on any day of the week. Longer watering times are provided for food crops such as vegetable gardens and fruit trees, while less time is allowed for ornamental plants and gardens. Watering should take place between 7pm and 9am in order to reduce evaporation and increase efficiency.
Vehicles and boats can be washed at any time during Stage 1 and Stage 2 water use restrictions. To prevent the unnecessary wasting of water boats and cars must be washed with a hose equipped with a spring-loaded nozzle and a bucket filled with water. Washing is not permitted during Stage 3 or Stage 4 restrictions.
New lawns should be planted in the spring to avoid excessive use of artificial irrigation during the drier summer months when water is limited. New lawns require a Sprinkling or Garden Irrigation Permit in order to exempt them from water use restrictions. Permits are issued at the discretion of each local government. Information can be obtained by contacting your local government (see contacts below). Permits may be issued for 21 days where new sod has been planted or 49 days where the lawn will be grown from seed. Sprinkling or Garden Irrigation Permits will not be issued during Stage 2, Stage 3 or Stage 4 water use restrictions.
Yes. The restrictions apply to all sprinkling systems. A soaker hose has holes emitting water at all angles around the hose which operate at full pressure resulting in significant evaporation. For this reason, a soaker hose is considered a type of sprinkler system.
Only a system using less than 90 L/hr (20 gallons per hour) which operates at less than 25 psi to deliver water to the root zone of the plant material is considered to be Micro irrigation or Drip irrigation. Weeper hoses are considered micro/drip irrigation, and are permitted; soaker hoses are not permitted. A weeper hose emits water through very small pores in the rubber; there is no water spray stream emitted from the hose, resulting in less evaporation than a soaker hose. A soaker hose has holes that are large enough to emit water as a spray stream, resulting in more evaporation than a micro/drip irrigation system or a weeper hose.
Conservation measures for these methods of irrigation are less stringent as they reduce evaporation losses by delivering the water directly to where the plants need them as well as having significantly lower flow ratings than other methods of irrigation. For the reasons stated above these types of systems are allowed to operate even during Stage 3 and 4 restrictions.
A weeper hose emits water through very small pores in the rubber; there is no water spray stream emitted from the hose, resulting in less evaporation than a soaker hose. A soaker hose has holes that are large enough to emit water as a spray stream, resulting in more evaporation than a micro/drip irrigation system or a weeper hose. Weeper hoses are considered micro/drip irrigation, and can be used according to the Hand Watering, Micro/Drip Irrigation rules. Soaker hoses are considered sprinklers and must follow the rules for sprinkling.
Watering during the morning, evening or overnight hours reduces the amount of evaporation that occurs from the lawns, sprinklers and soil. Allowing watering anytime overnight helps spread the peak water demand (e.g. less sprinkling first thing in the morning when many people are showering and using water to get ready for the day).
Stage 1 allows outdoor surfaces including houses to be hosed down; Stage 2, 3 and 4 do not allow for hosing down of outdoor surfaces.
Water rates and fees vary in range per year per household, depending on where you live. Increased demands in water consumption result in increased costs for pumping and treating water and eventually result in the need for upgrading of infrastructure which could increase rates substantially. Additionally, our water sources are not infinite and using less water benefits other system users and the environment that these sources support.
The watering day is dependent on the address of the strata and not the unit number.
Yes, during Stage 1 and Stage 2; please ensure the water is shut off when playtime is finished. These Stages allow recreational use of sprinkling systems. Stage 3 and 4 are a complete watering ban that includes recreational use.
Your lawn will naturally go dormant and turn brown during a hot, dry spell. A good rainfall or cooler weather may help revive your lawn. Watering lawns sparingly or not at all during the summer months saves one household up to 17,000 litres.
The water use restrictions must be met; automated sprinkler systems that cannot be programmed to comply with the restrictions will have to be manually operated.
It is expected that the watering restrictions will be followed. Lawn fertilization is most effective when applied in fall, early spring and late spring. Fertilizer is more likely to harm your lawn then help it during a period of drought. If you do plan to fertilize your lawn during the summer months it is best wait until the forecast predicts steady light rain.
Water restrictions do not apply to those homes on private wells or water sources. However property owners are encouraged to be good environmental stewards and follow the water use restrictions to conserve this vital resource. Aquifers are, for the most part, interconnected with river flows or neighbouring properties water resources, therefore, the more everyone can reduce their water usage, the better.
Wasting water includes allowing water to run excessively or unnecessarily to waste. Some examples include:
- Allowing irrigated water to puddle or run off a lawn into the storm drain system
- Allowing irrigation water to be sprayed onto a paved surface such as sidewalks, driveways, roadways, curbs, or gutters
- Washing of vehicles with a hose not equipped with spring-loaded nozzle or shut off valve at the discharge end of the hose.
Sprinkling regulations are meant to reduce water use in ways that do not cause serious economic hardship. Those users requiring water as part of a commercial operation are expected to conserve as much water as possible without resulting in a loss of business. In Stage 4 regulations, commercial users are expected to reduce water use to minimum essential levels.
Reports can be made to the appropriate local government or water district via telephone, e-mail or in person (see contacts below). Please record the address and street that the violation has occurred at as well as the time and type of violation.
Reports of a violation are followed up by making contact with the homeowner and providing them with the details of the violation and educational materials. If non-compliance continues, operational staff will give a warning notice to the homeowner. Every person who fails to comply with water use restrictions is guilty of an offense and on summary conviction is liable to a fine of not more than $2,000.
Town of Lake Cowichan Contact:
Public Works and Engineering
Email: general@lakecowichan.ca
Telephone: 250.749.6681