‘A year with some water challenges:’ seasonal restrictions in effect across Nanaimo & Oceanside

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Stage two restrictions also limit watering to a two-hour maximum between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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'A year with some water challenges:' seasonal restrictions in effect across Nanaimo & Oceanside

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Hand watering and drip or micro irrigation systems are exempt from the restrictions, as is the watering of vegetable and food gardens.

Both the Town of Qualicum Beach and the Town of Ladysmith will move to stage one restrictions on Friday, which allows sprinkling systems between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. on any day.

No restrictions are in place for the Qualicum Bay Horne Lake waterworks, while stage four restrictions remain in place for the Decourcey and Surfside regions.

Forssman told NanaimoNewsNOW they’re not only monitoring supply for things like drinking water, but also environmental flows, fire protection, and general public safety.

Low snowpack on Vancouver Island is also a concern.

The April 1 Snow Survey and Water Supply bulletin from the provincial government showed Vancouver Island at just 44 per cent of normal, compared to a provincial average of 92 per cent.

That’s a good flag for us that we’re headed into a year with some water challenges, and we’ll definitely be keeping our eye on that,” Forssman said. “Most of the systems on Vancouver Island are not snow-fed, they are very largely precipitation-driven and rain-driven, but that being said, snowpack is a really great resource to augment those flows going into the spring season.”

RDN officials will also be keeping a closer eye on water usage through the spring and summer months, with increased compliance tracking.

Forssman said they will adopt an “educate ahead of regulate” model to help people understand the restrictions at any given time.

“We have found in the past some folks aren’t really reducing their use to an appropriate level, so repeated or serious violations could result in enforcement action, including fines.”

Full details on current water restrictions, including an interactive map of the Regional District of Nanaimo’s various water service areas, is available here.

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