Surrey council approved a staff recommendation Monday to bring the city’s Drinking Water Conservation Plan bylaw in line with that of Metro Vancouver.
Council authorized the city clerk to bring the amended bylaw forward for the required readings.
The amendments are designed to “help ensure a consistent regional approach to managing water resources,” said Scott Neuman, Surrey’s general manager of engineering, in a corporate report responding to recent changes Metro Vancouver adopted concerning watering restrictions.
The Metro Vancouver’s Drinking Water Conservation Plan (“DWCP”) is a regional policy designed to manage drinking water use during periods of high demand, and during water shortage and emergencies.
There are four stages of watering restrictions under that plan.
The first reduces demand in summer months and is in effect from May 1 to Oct. 15 each year, stages two and three are activated and deactivated by the Greater Vancouver Water District Commissioner, and are typically activated during unusually hot and dry conditions to maximize conservation, Neuman’s report indicates.
The fourth stage is also activated and deactivated by the commissioner during an emergency “to immediately limit water use to essential needs only.”
Cities and municipalities decide whether or not they want to adopt restrictions as outlined in the DWCP as a bylaw to enforce them.
Neuman noted in his report that the Metro Vancouver Board approved reducing the Stage 1 lawn watering frequency from two days per week to one day and changing the Stage 2 lawn watering frequency from one day per week to no lawn watering.
“It should be noted that the reduction in lawn watering frequency by itself was not successful in managing the increase in water demand when the weather was extremely warm, as evidenced in summer 2021,” Neuman noted.
“This suggests that further reduction in lawn watering frequency, as currently proposed, may or may not result in lower peak summer water consumption as weather conditions could play a significant role in the overall water demand.
“Nevertheless, the reduction in lawn watering frequency supports the overall water conservation effort and encourages responsible usage of treated drinking water in the region.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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