The weather is heating up, and signs are posted reminding property owners to follow watering restrictions.
“With the arrival of warm weather, there’s always a jump in water demand, and the city is issuing a reminder to property owners to be water aware and do your part by following the current stage one watering restrictions,” says Nathalie Viau, the City’s water supervisor. “Even with a healthy supply of water stored in the lakes behind Campbell River, the system of pipes and pumps limits how much water we can deliver throughout the community, and we need to have enough water available in the system for firefighting, so watering restrictions come into effect every year on May 1.”
Watering restriction signs have been installed signs outside the Dogwood Operations Centre, at the intersection of Rockland Road and the Island Highway as well as at Alder and Coronation streets.
Stage one watering restrictions allow watering gardens, trees, shrubs and community gardens by hand or with spring-loaded type nozzles at any time during the day. Lawn watering is permitted as follows:
Odd-numbered house addresses water on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday from 5 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.
Even-numbered house addresses water on Monday, Wednesday, Saturday from 5 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.
Guidelines for water conservation and lawn care:
· Mow lawns to a length of three inches or more, reducing moisture loss and sunburn.
· Set sprinklers to water for 20 minutes or less per lawn watering session.
· Water for a maximum of two sessions per week, encouraging deep root systems.
· Provide good aeration and drainage to create a healthy lawn.
“City staff will be out and about in the community this summer, to educate people on the water restrictions and to provide tips for using water more efficiently,” Viau adds.
More water restrictions information is available on the City website www.campbellriver.ca, including permitted watering activities, watering times for non-residential properties and watering restriction stages and schedules.
“The city would also like to publicly thank major industrial operator Capital Power for helping Campbell River avoid increased watering restrictions by voluntarily reducing their water use during peak demand periods,” says Ron Neufeld, deputy city manager and general manager of operations. “The company has made significant investments and changes to their operations to reduce their water draw, which minimizes their impact on the city service capacities and related costs.”
An agreement between the city and Capital Power limits how much water the company can withdraw and how much wastewater they can discharge during peak demand periods. An on-site water reservoir allows Capital Power to store water and reduce the draw on the City’s system during peak times. The company also installed a sewage pump station and forcemain that bypasses the City collection system and connects directly to the Norm Wood Environmental Centre treatment plant.
The city has provided Capital Power with water and sewer services since the fall of 2013 after upgrades to the City’s water system were completed. Those upgrades were funded almost entirely by Capital Power. The agreement includes user fees that recognizes and accounts for the company’s infrastructure investment and decreased draw on City water and sewer services.