Here’s why Waterloo Region has a Water Conservation By-law every summer
What is Waterloo Region’s Water Conservation By-law?
The Water Conservation By-law takes effect each summer from May 31 through September 30. This means homeowners are limited to watering their lawns once per week. This is a very important measure to ensure we have enough water day-to-day through the high-demand hot months.
Your watering day depends on the last digit of your home address. Homeowners can water on their designated lawn-watering day between 5:30 and 10 a.m. or 7 to 11 p.m.
How do you know your watering day? What if you’ve planted new grass? This video explains all this and more:
Why do we have a Water Conservation By-law in the summer?
Before the Water Conservation By-law was in place, water demands often peaked 50 per cent above normal during the warmer months. Since the bylaw has been in place, peak demands in the summer are much lower; this puts less stress on our water system, which can only supply so much clean water at one time. In other words, the bylaw is working extremely well to ensure demand doesn’t exceed the capacity of our treatment system and there is enough clean drinking water for everyone.
We manage our community’s higher water use in the summer with a schedule to spread the demand throughout the week. If everyone watered their grass or gardens at the same time, we’d risk not having enough water for emergencies.
As the Region of Waterloo continues to grow, short- and long-term water conservation efforts are critical in ensuring our growth is sustainable. Just like in decades past, managing our water resources wisely helps us avoid building costly new water infrastructure.
How is the by-law enforced?
The first step in enforcement is educating residents on how the by-law works. The Region of Waterloo lets residents and homeowners know about the by-law before it takes effect each spring so you can properly plan your summer gardening and lawn maintenance.
A dedicated team of by-law enforcement officers and water efficiency students monitor and patrol all seven municipalities looking for water by-law offenses, most commonly:
- Watering on the wrong day
- Water during the wrong time of day
- Wasting water (such as a sprinkler that’s left on during periods of rain)
Warnings and charges are issued rarely and most often to repeat offenders.
Remember, the enforcement staff is working to ensure that we all understand the by-law and why water conservation is important.
What can I do to protect my lawn or garden during peak temperatures?
It’s important to know how much water your lawn or garden actually needs. Grass only needs one inch of water a week to be healthy. It usually gets this from rainfall and so does not need watering. In fact, too much watering causes shallow roots that don’t stand up to drought and promotes disease which can harm the grass.
You can find more information on watering outdoors on our outdoor water tip sheet or by watching our recent webinar on watering during the summer.
Who can I contact for more information on the Water Conservation By-law?
You can contact our Water Programs team at the Region for more information about water conservation, the by-law and enforcement at watercycle@regionofwaterloo.ca
