Kelowna restricts water use

by Wayne Moore CASTANET - Jul 29, 2015 / 3:54 pm
The City of Kelowna water utility is finally coming out with mandatory water restrictions. In support of the provincial drought response, the utility will begin implementing odd/even water restrictions for customers, beginning Aug. 4. This means properties with an address ending in an odd number can water on odd calendar days and those with an even address number can water on even calendar days. Automatic underground irrigation systems may run between midnight and 6 a.m. Manual sprinklers and watering by hose (hand watering) can occur between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m. or 6 p.m. and midnight on the scheduled odd/even day. Restrictions will remain in effect until Sept. 20.

“The restrictions for Kelowna water utility support the provincial water conservation goals and will help prepare us for any future water restrictions that may be required should the drought conditions continue year over year,” said utility services manager Kevin Van Vliet. “Odd/even watering is also effective in reducing peak water demand, which helps decrease the stress on our water system as a whole,” he said. The city says it has achieved significant progress in water conservation, giving the utility an edge in drought years. More than 15 years ago, residential and commercial water meters were installed and variable water rates were introduced to encourage conservation year round. The variable rates demonstrate the value of water to customers by increasing rates as water consumption rises. From 2003 to 2014, single-family residential water consumption decreased by 20 per cent per capita in the City of Kelowna utility area. While many water purveyors in the province are on mandatory odd/even restrictions year round that has never been the case in Kelowna. Van Vliet said it's something the city will look at once this season is over. "I don't know if that has been discussed in the past but that is a question that will be discussed after Sept. 30 and we can see what the impact has been on water demand," said Van Vliet. "One of the real advantages of odd/even is also a water distribution advantage. It smooths out the peaks so we'll be able to evaluate those and report them to council as well." More than half of Kelowna residents receive water from the city's water utility. The remainder have water supplied through one of the four water purveyors in the region. Each of those utilities has its own water restrictions.