Region’s water conservation bylaw now in effect
Posted May 31, 2021 08:00:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It's that time of year to limit your outdoor water usage. May 31 marks the first day of the conservation water bylaw for our region to conserve the water supply. Dan Meagher is the supervisor for water programs with the Region of Waterloo, and said they have already seen a spike in usage which is why they are promoting the bylaw.
“It limits everyone to watering their lawns once a week and other watering activities like cleaning your cars and trees every other day and that is just for us to monitor watering demands and make sure there is enough water for everything that it is needed for.”
It gets put into effect every year around this time to reduce peak water use and limit the risk of an outdoor watering ban. Meagher says with the pandemic and residents staying home, they have seen an increase in water consumption.
“In May, we are already seeing an increase in demand and that is expected during the pandemic with a lot of people at home because of the stay-at-home order. We have already seen a spike which is why we are promoting the bylaw so that people are aware that we still need to keep an eye on the water consumption despite everything else happening just because we need to protect the supply.”
With the current stay-at-home orders still in place, Meagher said the use of dish washing and toilet flushing has increased. There is a lot of things people can do to conserve their water use, for example having the right fixtures at home to conserve water. As the weather is getting warmer, people are more inclined to purchase hot tubs and pools. Meagher said owners are allowed to fill them up for the first time and they can refill them during their water days.
Meagher adds lawn watering is restricted to one day a week and your day to water depends on your house number
“If you are 0-1 you have Monday, 2-3 on Tuesday, 4-5 Wednesday 6-7 Thursday 8-9 Friday that being the last digit of your address, if your address is even then you have even calendar days of the month for everything else- gardens, trees, shrubs.”
There is a hotline and bylaw patrol that monitor water consumption in residential areas. “We recognize in a pandemic people already have their fill with rules and restrictions, this is not to be extra punitive, we are just ensuring we are following the rules and give everyone plenty of time to keep their plants and grass alive but also being mindful to have enough fo everyone else.”
Meagher shares the trend of handing out tickets has decreased over the years. Last year they handed no tickets. “Recognizing the pandemic last year we didn't add to the stress.”
Tickets would only be handed out only to those who are not listening to the rules and not having any concern for the community supply.
