By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
Osoyoos residents using excessive amounts of water for their lawns and gardens might expect a “knock on the door” from town officials as efforts continue to reduce water consumption.
As part of a report to council this week on the town’s efforts to conserve water, interim chief administrative officer Marg Coulson said staff was surprised at the volumes being used for residential irrigation.
Coulson told the Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting on Tuesday that staff has started reviewing consumption data from the recently installed water meters in the town. “Outdoor watering is by far the biggest hit to our water system each year,” she said.
“We are seeing hundreds of individual residential properties that are using (thousands of litres) of drinking water each time they do their irrigations. And I’ve got to be honest, it’s just not sustainable for the community in the long term,” she said.
“Our eyes were really bulging as we looked at some of the residential use. … (In the case of) some of the highest users, we will actually be going and knocking on doors and asking them what is their watering habit and just double checking that they don’t have some kind of a leak,” Coulson said.
“It could be they’re turning on the irrigation and it’s just like belching water into the ground and they’re unaware.”
The CAO assured council this is not part of some draconian program aimed at water users. “We don’t want residents to be concerned if we are knocking on their doors. We’re just trying to help the overall conservation effort.”
Elsewhere in her report, Coulson emphasized the severity of the water shortage in the South Okanagan, which is facing historic low lake levels and significant drought conditions.
The town, she said, is trying to do its part. Municipal facilities, which had meters installed as part of the larger program, have installed such water-saving devices as low-flow toilets, automatic shut off taps and high efficiency showers.
Going forward, water meter data will be monitored to catch leaks and track usage. Plumbing fixtures will be examined, with the intent of replacement with higher efficiency models where appropriate.
And town staff are encouraged to employ water-efficient practices like shutting off taps while rinsing dishes and running dishwashers only when full.
In the town’s outdoor facilities, Gyro Park, Osoyoos Golf Club and Desert Park are already using either recycled water from the sewage treatment facility or lake water for irrigation.
Elsewhere, Coulson said, high-efficiency controllers have been installed on some irrigation systems.
Making sure that the town’s irrigation systems aren’t leaking and that they are hitting their targets and not just watering the road continue to be priorities along with keeping watering time to a minimum and switching to drip lines where appropriate.
Some of the current green spaces could switch to a more golden hue as the town looks to “identify turf that could go gold,” with reduced watering.
There are also plans to identify areas where turf could be removed and replaced with “drought-tolerant plants, Firesmart plants and xeriscape.”
Councillor Johnny Cheong suggested replacing some of the town’s lawns with clover or yarrow, both less thirsty and easier to maintain than traditional lawn grass. Coulson said the idea would be explored.
Town trucks and streets might appear a bit dirtier during the warmer months as fleet vehicles are washed only when required and the streets are swept when needed and with as little water as possible.
Other measures being considered include looking for ways to use reclaimed water, seeking budget approval for water main leak detectors and consideration of a seasonal approach to fire department training.
As for what residents can do to play their part in the conservation effort, Coulson pointed out that the Neptune 360 software will be available within weeks.
Related to the company that supplied the town’s metering system, the application allows users to monitor for possible leaks in their water systems, allowing for timely repair.
As well, the report suggests residents might “consider letting lawn go gold, or xeriscaping portions of the landscaping.”
Mayor Sue McKortoff, long an advocate of water conservation, echoed the report’s suggestion that residents look for ways to reduce water consumption at home.
“One thing I have always said, and I said it on CBC …three-minute showers,” she said. “We need to be thinking that way. Just like turning off the water when you are brushing your teeth.”
The mayor further urged residents to go to a website called makewaterwork.ca and make “the pledge” to do their part to conserve. The pledge includes:
- to water my lawn between dusk and dawn;
- to mow smart – not to high, not too low;
- to choose plants suited to the Okanagan’s dry climate;
- to plant Firesmart and let my yard do double duty;
- to choose waterwise landscaping practices like xeriscaping and clover lawns;
- to water plants, not pavement;
- to tune my irrigation; and
- to Protect What Matters this summer.
Coulson’s report suggested that the town might look at incentives or grants to encourage residents to conserve water, and to provide public seminars and discussions.
As well, it pointed out several other websites that provide information on how to conserve, including the Okanagan Basin Water Board obwb.ca, okananganxeriscape.org and town’s own website osoyoos.ca.
