Greater Victoria’s reservoirs are almost full, but that doesn’t mean we can waste water. As the dry season approaches, the Sooke and Goldstream reservoirs are at 93 per cent capacity. However, as of last week, the Capital Regional District said we had received just two per cent of the monthly average rainfall for May. It’s a reminder that water conservation has to be a way of life.
In decades past, a green lawn was the mark of a responsible homeowner. A brown lawn was letting down the neighbourhood.
But these days, in many parts of Greater Victoria, lawns are green only in the winter. For many such homeowners, a brown summer lawn is the new measure of responsibility. And it’s a sign of our changing attitude to water.
Island residents like to think they live in a rainforest, but in the summer months, Victoria’s weather has more in common with the south of France than with the Amazon. We got a scare in 2001, when reservoirs dropped to critical levels after the driest winter on record, and we began to realize that even on the Wet Coast, clean water isn’t the limitless resource we once thought it was.
In 2003, the CRD finished work on a $20-million expansion of the Sooke Reservoir, which increased its capacity by about 80 per cent. It now can hold 92.7 billion litres of water. Using that water wisely will make it go further.
Stage 1 watering restrictions are automatic now. They begin every year on May 1 and last until Sept. 30. They permit watering of lawns two days a week between 4 and 10 a.m. and 7 and 10 p.m. Even addresses can water on Wednesdays and Saturdays, while odd addresses water on Thursdays and Sundays.
Last week, the CRD reinforced the importance of conservation by increasing fines.
Wasting water or allowing a sprinkler to deteriorate so it wastes water will cost you $200, up from $75. When Stage 1 restrictions are in place, watering on the wrong day will also carry at $200 fine. Breaking the rules in Stage 2 will cost $250 instead of $150.
And under Stage 3 rules, all fines will be $400. Many had been $250.
The CRD hasn’t taken a heavy-handed approach to enforcement. Last year, only one fine was issued for breaching the water bylaw, and the average over the past 15 years has been two per year.
For first offences in particular, the district prefers education over handing out fines. A big part of that education is the notion that a lot of small changes make a difference, and all of us can help save water.
It’s natural for lawns to go dormant in the summer and revive in the fall, so let it go brown. If green is important, keep in mind that grass needs only about one inch of water a week, even in the hottest times of the year.
Don’t wash cars and boats, except for the windows and headlights. Use a broom instead of a power-washer.
Turn off the tap when you brush your teeth or wash the dishes. Make sure the dishwasher or washing machine is full before you turn it on.
Consider drought-tolerant landscaping. Collect the hundreds of litres of rainwater that flows off your roof every year.
Use low-flow and high-efficiency toilets, shower heads and washing machines. Take shorter showers.
The CRD’s website has lots of tips for reducing water usage.
As our population grows, the demands on our water system will increase. Using water carefully will benefit all of us in the long run.
