The Regional District of Nanaimo is moving to stage three watering restrictions today.
This means lawn watering is now limited to one day per week with odd-numbered houses on Mondays and even-numbered houses on Thursdays.
“This change to stage 3 will help reduce water use and preserve our collective water resource as drought conditions become more severe,” reads a news release from the RDN.
Decourcey and Surfside water service areas will remain at stage 4, according to the release.
The province lists eastern Vancouver Island as drought level one, on a scale from zero to five. This means abnormally dry conditions, which the news release attributes to little rainfall in June and below-average snowpack.
“Water flow in the region’s creeks and streams is low, and fire risk is a concern for the rest of the summer if the dry weather persists,” the press release says. “Conserving water now ensures we have what we need for essential household use, fire protection, stream flows for fish and irrigation purposes.”
The RDN also suggests people avoid washing their vehicles unnecessarily and sweeping outdoor surfaces, rather than washing them.
A map of watering restrictions can be found on the RDN’s website.
