Despite floods and high lakes theres been little or no rainfall
Despite high lake levels and ground water this spring, we’re now moving into a summer season that has seen little to no rainfall so far.
Kelowna residents are reminded to be thoughtful about water use and to conserve where possible.
Normal water use restrictions for City of Kelowna Water Utility customers are in effect year-round, with the possibility of additional restrictions if drought conditions persist through the summer.
“It may seem odd to have water restrictions in place after the spring we’ve experienced, but irrigation season is in full swing, especially with the current dry conditions,” says Ed Hoppe, Water Quality & Customer Care Supervisor. “Our pumping stations are running at capacity to keep our reservoirs at sustainable service levels. At this time of year, we also need to have the ability to store enough water in the reservoirs for firefighting use in case of local fires.”
Water restriction stages run from ‘normal’ through to ‘Stage 4’ with increasing water use restrictions. ‘Normal’ is the default and is in place at all times, unless a higher water use Restrictions Stages are declared by the City Water Utility Manager or City Council.
Under the current ‘normal’ stage:
- Properties with an odd number address can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
- Properties with an even number address can water on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday
- No watering should occur on Mondays with the exception of hand watering only
Automatic timer sprinkler systems will be restricted to between midnight and 6 a.m. up to three days per week. Manual sprinkler watering will be restricted to the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and 7 p.m. to midnight up to three days per week as per schedule.
Once again, the City is offering a $40 rebate to water utility customers who purchase a new irrigation controller in order to be able to schedule irrigation for specific days of the week. The irrigation controller rebate program is designed to assist water utility customers in adhering to the watering restrictions schedule. Compliant controllers need to be purchased before July 31, 2017.
