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Metro Vancouver residents urged to shorten showers, stop watering lawns as drought persists

A man walks in the water off Locarno Beach during a stretch of unseasonably warm weather, in Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. File photo by The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

Water use in Metro Vancouver is much higher, while reservoir levels are lower than normal, prompting the regional district to ask millions of residents and businesses to conserve.

A statement from the regional district of Metro Vancouver says water use is up by 20 per cent for this time of year because of the extended dry, warm weather.

It says the area's watersheds have received about 50 millimetres of rain since the start of August, when it would typically see about 400 millimetres between Aug. 1 and Oct. 1.

The district says cutting back on tap water use, both indoors and outdoors, will help conserve "precious treated drinking water" for where it's needed most: cooking, cleaning and drinking.

It asks that people hold off on watering their lawns and allow them to go dormant.

#Drought prompts request for #MetroVancouver residents to take shorter showers. #Water

Indoors, the district says take shorter showers and turn off the tap while washing dishes or brushing teeth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2022.

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