High temperatures and a run on the city's water reservoirs have prompted Prince George to take the uncommon step of banning sprinklers and unattended hoses.
The restriction, announced late Tuesday morning, came into effect immediately until further notice by the city.
"It's probably not been done in – at the minimum – the last five years," said associate public works director Gina Layte Liston.
The ban puts the kibosh on anyone setting out a sprinkler, leaving out a hose or turning on an irrigation system to water their lawn or garden. However hand-held measures are still allowed, such as using a watering can or using a hose with a spray nozzle.
Prince George's water regulation bylaw allows it to put a restriction in place if "they have reason to believe that a water supply shortage exists or is imminent or the public interest may require it."
According to Layte Liston, there's been a heavy draw on reservoirs, which could affect the the city's capacity to deliver water for firefighting.
On Monday night, between 5 and 10 p.m., 4.5 million litres of water per hour were drawn from the city's reservoirs, said Layte Liston, which is nearly five times the average of closer to one million litres per hour.
"There's no question that the temperatures have been high for a period of time and people want to be irrigating their grass and their turf on their properties," she said. "That 5 to 10 p.m. period is a definite indicator of that."
The ban has nothing to do with the city's overall water supply, Layte Liston explained, but rather pumps are reaching a critical level where reservoirs can't be refilled quickly enough.
"So what happens is if that all the water is being consumed by property owners and such, we don't have that extra amount going to the reservoirs to keep the reservoirs filled up," she said. "But then we're using what our pumping capacity is, plus what's in the reservoir and that's why our levels decrease."
The city is also going to be curbing its water usage, shutting off water parks and not watering grass. There will still be watering of annual gardens, said Layte Liston.
Watering restrictions are nothing new for the city. There is a year-round ban on sprinkler use between the hours of noon and 5 p.m. every day and property owners are limited to watering lawns on odd- or even-numbered days, depending on their house number.
Sprinkling violations can result in a $50 per day fine from the city.
Details are still being worked out, Layte Liston said, but it's expected that bylaw enforcement will be working outside of normal hours to keep an eye on things.
Exemptions are available by filling out a form on the city's website for people who need to water fresh seeding or sod.
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