Stage one watering restrictions are now in place for the City of Kelowna water utility.
Assigned day watering restrictions remain in place, and residents are encouraged to be mindful of water use, especially during peak hours, according to a City of Kelowna release.
There hasn’t been significant rainfall in over 60 days so residents are asked to be thoughtful about the water they use to help prevent the need to move to more severe restrictions, said the release.
“Moving to the next stage of water restrictions isn’t about whether there is enough water in the lake to meet our community need overall. We’ve obviously had extraordinary lake levels this spring,” said water quality and customer care supervisor Ed Hoppe.
“The restriction is needed to reduce high demand on the system at any given time, such as when irrigation systems all turn on. It’s about ensuring our water delivery system can keep up with the demand for drinking water, irrigation, and commercial use while still ensuring we can accommodate emergency situations such as fighting fires.”
Under the current Stage 1 water restrictions:
Properties with odd-number addresses may water yards and lawns on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, even address numbers may water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. No properties are to water on Mondays.
Automatic underground irrigation systems may run between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. up to three days per week.
The irrigation controller rebate program is designed to assist customers in adhering to the watering restrictions schedule with a $40 rebate on the purchase of a new irrigation controller. Details on the rebate program can be found on the water conservation page at the City of Kelowna’s website.