STAY CONNECTED: Have the stories that matter most delivered every night to your email inbox. Subscribe to our daily local news wrap.

Water restrictions being phased in on mid-island

Apr 4, 2017 | 12:46 PM

NANAIMO — Annual watering restrictions are in effect for most of mid-Vancouver Island.

Stage one restrictions were implemented on April 1 for many communities between Cedar and Deep Bay, meaning no daytime watering is permitted.

City of Nanaimo water resources manager Bill Sims said they’ve harmonized the various stages of water restriction for local governments.

“The year before we had a drought and we were all in different directions and we all had different stages and different definitions for those stages and it created a lot of confusion,” Sims said. “Last year was a huge step forward, it was really positive.”

Sims said while neighbouring communities have less water supply than Nanaimo, it’s important to have restrictions now to help preserve our most valuable resource.

“It keeps us in the mindset of valuing that resource appropriately, especially in the summer in the low-flow times, it preserves water for fishery enhancement in the Nanaimo River.”

Sims told NanaimoNewsNOW stage two restrictions will be in effect in Nanaimo on May 1. He said that means the even/odd day watering routine based on your house number.

Sims noted while watering restriction definitions are streamlined throughout the mid-island, individual governments have the power to decide when those restrictions are applied.

Lantzville, Qualicum Beach, Qualicum Bay and Deep Bay currently don’t have watering restrictions in place.

Regional water use rules don’t apply to hand-watering and drip irrigation systems, as well as vegetable and food gardens.

An updated mid-island watering restriction map is available here.

 

ian.holmes@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @reporterholmes