The City of Port Alberni will be moving to Stage 1 water restrictions beginning July 1, 2021.
This is an annual event; for the past four years the city has used Canada Day as a marker to start water restrictions to ensure a steady supply of safe drinking water through the hot summer months.
Starting Thursday, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., even-numbered addresses can water their lawns, trees, shrubs and flowers on even-numbered calendar days; odd-numbered addresses can water on odd-numbered calendar days.
Residents can continue with drip or micro-irrigation and hand watering using a spring-loaded nozzle or watering pail or bucket any day at any time for a maximum of two hours. In addition, residents can wash vehicles and outdoor surfaces any day at any time using a spring-loaded nozzle or watering pail or bucket.
“Water conservation is everyone’s responsibility. By reducing the amount of water consumed throughout the driest months of the year we are acting as good stewards towards our natural resources,” said Clinton Wright, operations manager for the city’s Engineering and Public Works Department.
“Conserving water gives us the opportunity to play an important part in helping the environment maintain the natural levels of our source water. Also, less water consumed means less wear and tear on our infrastructure, less power being used to treat and distribute the water and at the end of the day that positive action is passed on to the customer through a reduced utility bill.
“We’re fortunate in Port Alberni to have a multi-sourced, secure and clean supply of renewable water,” Wright added.
“Stage 1 restrictions are a reminder to consumers that the efforts made now to conserve that resource while rainfall begins to diminish, may lessen the risk of having to enforce more restrictive measures if the summer is drier than anticipated. Please do your part by being mindful of your usage and watering only on the days you are permitted to.”
Some simple conservation steps that can be taken include:
• letting your lawn go gold, or dormant through the summer;
• avoiding the permanent-press cycle on your washing machine;
• taking shorter showers and installing water-saving showerheads;
• keeping a jug of water in the fridge – running the tap to cool off the water is wasteful; and
• ensuring taps and hose connections aren’t dripping.
Visit www.portalberni.ca and search ‘Water Restrictions’ for more information, including permitted watering activities, frequently asked questions and water restriction stages.