The City of Penticton is reminding residents that Stage 1 of the seasonal water restrictions come into effect on Wednesday, May 1, and run until Aug. 31, 2024.
These restrictions are required to ensure the community has continued access to clean drinking water during the warmer, drier spring and summer months.
Watering days are as follows:
- Odd numbered street addresses may irrigate on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays only.
- Even numbered street addresses may irrigate on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays only.
- No watering on Mondays.
- Townhouses and condominiums follow their street address, not their unit number. Only properties zoned RSM (Mobile Home Park) use their respective unit number in place of street address.
Irrigation times are as follows:
- Automatic irrigation/sprinklers are permitted to run between 12:01 a.m. to 6 a.m. only on designated days.
- Manual irrigation is permitted to run between 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. only on designated days.
To reduce your outdoor water use this spring and summer, here are some easy tips from Okanagan WaterWise:
- Put water on the night shift. Water between dusk and dawn. Putting water to work during the coolest part of the day prevents evaporation.
- Put water only where it’s needed. It should sprinkle your lawn and garden, not pavement.
- Let your grass grow. Leave grass 2-3 inches tall (5-8 cm). This slows evaporation from the soil, making it work more effectively.
- Choose plants suitable to our dry climate. Drought-tolerant turf and native low-water variety plants save you water, time and money. Visit the Okanagan Xeriscape Association’s Plant Database for a list of WaterWise plants for the Okanagan.
- Most lawns need just 2.5 cm of water per week – about the depth of a tuna can. Watering deeply and less often promotes deep, healthy root growth.
- Check sprinkler heads. Sometimes sprinkler heads break, or plants grow around the sprinkler head, preventing effective water use. Check sprinkler heads and make necessary fixes to ensure they are working right.
Visit penticton.ca/water for more information about water restrictions and conservation.
Reminder about changes to City’s water rates
The City has updated its water rate structure in a move to encourage water conservation. These new rates will still have consumers pay based on usage, but a new three-tiered rate structure will mean higher rates for higher volume users. The rate change does not apply to larger multi-family residential customers with larger shared services, agricultural users, or commercial/industrial customers. For more information, visit penticton.ca/water-meters.