Watering Restrictions to Start Two Weeks Earlier in 2016

From CBC News:

After last year’s record-breaking dry summer, Metro Vancouver says water restrictions will now begin more than two weeks earlier than past years in order to ensure the region still has enough water supply at summer’s end.

Water restrictions will begin May 15th, 2016 and continue until Oct 15th.

“That’s to reflect the kind of conditions we’ve experienced this past summer, to make sure in the future we’re okay with demand,” said Inder Singh, director of policy planning and analysis in Metro Vancouver’s water services department.

Dry summer conditions and a low snowpack in 2015 forced Metro Vancouver to implement stage 3 water restrictions in July, which banned lawn sprinkling outright. It was the first time residents in the region saw that severity of water-use restriction since 2003.

Singh says this winter’s rain and snow is no guarantee that reservoir levels this upcoming summer will stay high.

“The snowpack at this time of the year has a benefit to skiers but not for future water supply in the summer because it could effectively all be gone depending on the nature of the temperatures and everything else happening between now and the spring.”

University Sprinklers’ Involvement

University Sprinklers Vice President David Pfortmueller was involved in the focus group that put this new plan in place. David is a staunch advocate for water conservation and water-wise irrigation, and  holds distinction as an EPA Watersense Partner, for his dedication to water conservation techniques.