Two communities in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley are moving to Stage 2 water restrictions as persistent drought conditions are expected to intensify. The City of Abbotsford says the tightened restrictions on water use will take effect in the city, and in the neighbouring community of Mission, on July 31. The move will align the two communities with restrictions currently in place across Metro Vancouver and Surrey, which opted earlier this year to set its own restrictions rather than joining the rest of the regional district. Stage 2 restrictions are the third highest of four levels and prohibit the watering of lawns and the washing of sidewalks, driveways and buildings. The restrictions allow the watering of gardens and trees with irrigation systems, handheld containers and hoses with a spring-loaded shutoff nozzle. Automated sprinklers can also be used between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. for residential customers and between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. for non-residential water users. Golf courses are permitted to water fairways one day per week, while commercial farms must limit water use to the minimum necessary. Vegetable gardens and fruit-bearing trees and shrubs are exempt from Stage 2 restrictions, the city said in a statement Monday. A poll released last month suggested that 90 per cent of B.C. residents support local water restrictions. Leger surveyed 1,512 Canadians between June 12 and June 15, including 206 residents of B.C. The poll suggested 42 per cent of B.C. respondents strongly supported water restrictions, with another 48 per cent saying they somewhat supported them. Seventy-one per cent of B.C. respondents said the water restrictions are justified. Only four per cent of respondents somewhat opposed the restrictions, while three per cent said they were strongly opposed. Metro Vancouver moved temporarily to Stage 3 restrictions after a key water supply was closed for construction work. The supply line’s closing, along with low snowpack levels and dry weather, triggered the Stage 3 restrictions in early June, with the regional district closely tracking consumption to make sure supply didn’t run out before fall. The restrictions were eased earlier this month after the First Narrows Crossing water supply tunnel through Stanley Park returned to service. With files from The Canadian Press
