Water restrictions will be extended until September 30 due to drought conditions valley-wide. Stage 2 restrictions will continue unless otherwise notified and water users should continue doing their part to alleviate the drought-related stress on our water sources.
The Province of B.C. recently announced that the Okanagan has moved to Drought Level 4 in response to the continued hot, dry weather and low lake levels. Provincial drought levels differ from local water regulations and the City of Penticton has been monitoring our upland reservoir levels, lake levels, and customer demand to make an informed decision to extend restrictions, rather than increasing them.
“Extending Stage Two water restrictions until September 30 will allow for continued water conservation during September instead of progressing to Stage Three, which would have ended on August 31,” said Water Quality Supervisor, Micheal Firlotte. “If September continues to be warmer and drier than average, this will help maintain fish flows and reserve water for emergency operations like fire fighting.”
The City of Penticton asks residents to reduce outdoor watering as much as possible by continuing to follow Stage Two water restrictions, with a two day per week schedule depending on your street address. Continued vigilance by both residential and agricultural customers is essential to prepare for the possibility of multi-year droughts, making this year more important than ever to practice water conservation.
Visit www.penticton.ca/water for more information about water restrictions and water conservation.