A Stage 4 water ban will be in effect for the Sunshine Coast starting Thursday, Aug. 13.
The restrictions, announced Monday by the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD), include a ban on all outdoor tap water use and apply to all regional water customers south of Pender Harbour.
“Right now, in this time of water scarcity, we encourage all people to only use water for essential uses,” SCRD board chair Garry Nohr said.
Stage 4 bans the use of tap water to water plants by both residential and commercial customers. Hand watering with a hose is not allowed, nor is filling a watering can or bucket at an indoor sink and watering that way.
Irrigation systems and sprinklers are also off limits.
Filling ponds, pools, hot tubs and fountains are not allowed. Neither is washing driveways, sidewalks or vehicles.
Residents are being asked to recycle bath and dish water for watering plants.
“Water use has decreased by approximately 40 per cent since going to Stage 3,” SCRD general manager of infrastructure services Bryan Shoji said, calling the community’s conservation efforts during the drought period “remarkable.”
“Unfortunately, this unprecedented hot and dry weather has resulted in drier conditions within the watershed, which is causing our available water supply to deplete more rapidly as time goes on,” Shoji said.
“As these weather conditions are forecasted to continue into the fall, Stage 4 restrictions are necessary in order to extend our available water supply into the fall when the probability of rain increases.”
The SCRD is working to deploy an emergency backup system to access water in lower reaches of Chapman Lake.
Enforcement staff have increased patrols and the SCRD has warned that violators will be fined.
“We get calls daily with complaints,” water conservation assistant Swinzle Chauhan said. “We regularly give out warning letters.”
Acting manager of utility services Shane Walkey said that so far no fines have been issued.
“We’ve had good responses to the warning letters,” Walkey said. “So far we haven’t had the need to issue any fines.”
Water wasters can be reported to the SCRD by calling 604-885-6806, or to the Town of Gibsons at 604-886-2274.
The ban does not include farmers with metered watering systems who were given an exemption to Stage 4 at an SCRD board meeting on July 23.
