Why are watering restrictions important? With wildfires and heatwaves ravaging our province each summer, municipalities and cities across British Columbia have implemented bylaws to help conserve water.

The District of Elkford implemented an outdoor water conservation bylaw back in 2015 to help preserve and protect our water supply throughout the drier months.

To ensure capacity of Elkford’s reservoirs in the event of a fire emergency (and adequate water for all throughout the summer) watering between April 1 and September 30 is to take place on odd-or-even-numbered days corresponding with your residential street address. On the calendar days that correspond with your street address (odd or even), remember that you may only water within the hours of 7 p.m. to 10 a.m.

Now we know that some of our long-term residents may remember different watering times, but please note that these were amended in 2022 within the Good Neighbour Bylaw (No. 781, 2022). You can find the full bylaw here.

Why does the bylaw prohibit you from setting your automatic sprinkler system to go off during the blazing heat of the afternoon? You may already know this, but by watering at the coolest points of the day, you are maximizing the amount of water that your grass and plants can absorb and minimizing the amount being lost to evaporation. Early mornings (followed by evenings) are by far the most effective times to water your lawn and garden.

It’s also important to give your lawn a break between watering. Experts recommend that you avoid watering daily to allow your lawn and plants adequate time to dry. The exception to this is hand-watering your potted and container plants with a watering can, which is best done daily during very hot weather (and yes, hand-watering with a watering can is permitted by the bylaw); otherwise, you risk overwatering your lawn and gardens.

Overwatering can lead to shallow root systems, fungal development, increases in weeds and pests and a reduced ability to withstand heat stress and periods of drought, so it’s typically best for your landscaping to stagger your watering anyway.

Abiding by these watering restrictions doesn’t just help your community conserve water throughout wildfire season, but it also helps you to maintain a healthier lawn and garden too.

District of Elkford

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