Kelowna moves to State 1 water restrictions July 12

The Kelowna Water Utility is moving to Stage 1 water restrictions beginning Monday, July 12. Stage 1 restrictions are intended to reduce total and peak water use by 10 percent

The change is in response to dry, hot weather, provincial drought declarations and persistent, high-level demand for water in Kelowna. The restriction does not apply to agricultural customers served by the non-potable irrigation system.

“We’ve seen hot weather and very little rain in the past few weeks and that trend is predicted to continue through the summer,” said Water Operations Manager Andrew Weremy. “The change to Stage 1 restrictions is a response to the weather and a call for Kelowna residents to be extra vigilant in limiting their water use. The reality is that we don’t know how long drought conditions will last, so we need to be prudent.”

Stage 1 Watering Restriction Schedule:

Watering restrictions and designated watering times include:

• Manual sprinklers may operate and handheld watering can be done between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. and 12 a.m. on designated days.
• Automatic sprinklers may operate between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. on designated days. We encourage shortened early morning run times to help reach our objectives.

Watering household lawns and gardens accounts for approximately one quarter of residential water use in the Okanagan, making it an excellent area for conservation. A downward trend in water consumption will ensure the City Water Utility can continue functioning normally and reduce the risk of tighter restrictions in the future.

For more information, visit kelowna.ca/water.