Regular watering hours will be back in effect for East Side Lake Windermere residents next week, and the Regional District of East Kootenay is urging moderated water use.
Starting on Tuesday, August 3rd, even-numbered houses will be able to water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, while odd-numbered houses can water lawns on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Watering on Fridays is not allowed for anyone in the area.
Manual sprinklers may be used from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 7 p.m. to 11 p.m., automatic sprinklers can only be used from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m.
East Side Water Service communities include Windermere, Timber Ridge, Timber Heights, Baltac, Akiskinook, Calberley Beach, Swansea, Pedley Heights and East Side.
The month-long restrictions were initially put in place due to the extreme heat, and to help conserve the reservoir’s finite water volume.
“During the heatwave at the beginning of July, we noted a sharp increase in consumption within the East Side Water Service area to the extent that our water treatment plant was running 23 hours a day and was having difficulty keeping up with the demand,” explained Brian Funke, RDEK Engineering Services Manager. “Our consumption has returned to a more reasonable level and we will be returning to our regular watering hours following the long weekend.”
That said, the RDEK may implement watering restrictions again if needed.
“I do want to stress that watering in moderation and being mindful of water use is still critical,” said Funke. “If we see consumption skyrocket once again, we will have no choice but to go back to more stringent watering hours.”
East Side Lake Windermere residents have been allowed one watering day per week since July 13th.
RDEK officials said a Master Plan will be formulated over the coming months to assess the water system’s capacity, demand, optimization, and recommend potential upgrades for water production.
