A five-day ban on outdoor watering will be in place next week as the city completes connection of a new watermain to two wells along the Nechako River.
Homeowners will still be allowed to use hand-held devices like watering cans and hoses equipped with trigger nozzles during the ban, which starts at noon on Monday and ends Friday evening, but not lawn sprinklers and unattended hoses.
The ban is a precautionary move.
"We need to make sure we can maintain an availability for fire protection," city public works director Gina Layte Liston said.
She noted the amount of water used in sprinkling can equal the amount used for showering, cleaning, cooking and drinking inside the home.
Completing the connection will bring to an end a year-long $3 million project. It will connect the wells at Fish Trap Island and Wilson Park and provide a measure of redundancy in case of mechanical trouble or disaster such as a major derailment along the nearby CN Rail train track.
Because the watermain crosses a wetland, the project included some landscaping to create additional fish habitat.
The two wells provide most of the water used in the Hart, throughout the Bowl, Blackburn, and College Heights. One of the wells is one of the city's oldest.
City wells draw water from an underground aquifer that provides among the highest water quality in North America, according to the city.
If needed, the city will continue to water sports fields, flower beds and newly-planted trees during the ban to prevent them from burning or dying, Layte Liston added.
Some privately-owned lands, such as the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, have their own wells and are not connected to the city's water system. Consequently, they can still irrigate during the ban.
Residents found to be in frequent contravention of the ban could face a fine of $100. Those who feel they need an exemption from the watering ban are asked to fill out an online form for an exemption on the city website.
