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‘Conserve now’: West Kelowna urges residents to reduce water use

The city is asking residential, commercial and agricultural customers to reduce outdoor water use by 30 per cent
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West Kelowna officials are urging residents to conserve water as reserve levels remain limited.

The city’s reservoir levels continue to decline due to substantial irrigation use amid drought conditions and extreme heat, despite recently implemented Stage 2 restrictions. While daily use has declined slightly since the city imposed the restrictions on July 20, consumption is still too high, according to a City of West Kelowna statement.

“Conservation is easier than people may think and they can find helpful tips for making less water work more efficiently and learn more about Stage 2 restrictions at westkelownacity.ca/water,” said director of engineering and public works Allen Fillion.

Residential, commercial and agricultural customers are asked to reduce outdoor use by 30 per cent. Stage 2 restrictions are:

  • Even-numbered addresses water Saturdays and Tuesdays
  • Odd-numbered addresses water Sundays and Wednesdays
  • Properties equipped with automated sprinkler systems water between midnight and 6 a.m. on permitted days
  • Properties equipped with manually controlled sprinkling systems, including those attached to outside taps, water between midnight and 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. to midnight on permitted days
  • Never water between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.
  • General rules allow additional hand watering of landscape plants and vegetable gardens, excluding lawns, only as needed

“Conserving now will make a big difference later because, with little to no rain and extreme heat, we may soon reach a point where even the snowpack will be insufficient to replenish upland storage reservoirs for next year, said Fillion.

READ MORE: Officials urge British Columbians to conserve water as regions face extreme drought


@paulatr12
paula.tran@kelownacapnews.com

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