As of Friday, users of community water systems within the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) were at Stage 1.
Following in the footsteps of local municipalities, the (CSRD) has rolled out multi-stage watering restrictions. This includes four stages, with water use being increasingly limited up to Stage 4, when general outdoor watering of lawns, trees, shrubs and plants is not permitted.
The CSRD announced the change on Friday, May 30.
"Stage 1 (Normal) restrictions are in effect year-round," explained the CSRD on its website."Restrictions may be increased to Stages 2, 3 or 4 depending on environmental conditions, water supply system capacity and demand on the system.
"In the summer months, water demand increases dramatically due to outdoor water use, primarily related to sprinkling. Without water restrictions, CSRD water supply systems may not be able to ensure water is available for essential use. This puts the community at risk, especially in the case of fire, where there might not be enough stored water available for firefighting. "
A chart with general watering guidelines for each of the stages is available below.
Furthermore, water restrictions permit outdoor use only on designated days of the week, depending on the number of your street address and the water restriction stage in effect. Under normal conditions, watering is allowed three days per week; Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for odd-numbered addresses and the remaining days for even-numbered addresses. On designated days, watering is limited to a maximum of three hours, with no irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. (between 12 a.m. and 6 p.m. is preferred to reduce peak demand).
Watering restriction stage updates will be available on signs posted around the CSRD, through the CSRD’s website and social media, and from Notify Me and Alertable.
The City of Salmon Arm, Enderby and Sicamous have staged watering restrictions.
