Despite stabilizing the water supply, there is likely no end in sight for the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) stage two outdoor watering restrictions.
"In regards to stage two, we don't see getting rid of that anytime soon. We've managed to stabilize ourselves and if we were to remove it, we'd probably be in the same situation we had a while ago, especially given the forecast," said Dayton Skei, water conservation assistant for the SCRD.
The SCRD tightened restrictions on watering lawns and driveways three weeks ago when water reserves hit dangerously low levels.
Skei said instituting the restrictions and has worked and allowed Coast residents' taps to remain open.
"It was very beneficial," he said. "It wasn't so much the water supply coming down the creek, it was excessive demand, so we had to move to stage two water restrictions to curb that demand. We were pumping out at full capacity for a while there and that's not really sustainable."
Skei said residents on the Coast have been largely compliant with the restrictions since learning the details about them in July and he has not had to increase ticketing for water bylaw infractions.
"It's just a matter of educating people and those people that don't follow along, let them know what the consequences are. Usually most people are pretty good about it," he said. "If you go around you can notice a lot more golden lawns out there. A lot of people are taking this to heart and they are actually trying."
Outdoor watering is still restricted to Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. for even numbered houses and Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m.
