C.J. Rhodes, candidate for councillor, Town of Osoyoos. (Richard McGuire photo)
Town of Osoyoos council will decide in one month whether or not to extend its watering restriction bylaw to include rural residential property owners.
After a lengthy debate at Monday’s regular meeting, town council approved a motion that senior administration prepare a report regarding possible alterations to its water conservation bylaw passed in early June to include Irrigation Districts 8 and 9 – located north and south of town limits.
The bylaw restricts homeowners in the Town of Osoyoos to watering their lawn two nights per week. Using a hose for washing vehicles, driveways, boats, parking lots or exterior building surfaces has also been prohibited, except in exceptional circumstances.
Watering of public sports playing fields, tee-off areas and putting greens on local golf courses, watering of flower and vegetable gardens, decorative planters, shrubs and trees using drip irrigation or a hose with an automatic shut off nozzle are not affected by the new bylaw.
The water restriction bylaw provides chief administrative officer Barry Romanko with limited authority to provide special exemptions based on the physical and mental incapacity of residents to water as the directed times and to issue special permits.
The town had been asked by management at Osoyoos Home Hardware to be able to use a “water misting device” in front of their building, as they have done for the past many years.
After another debate, council voted to allow commercial businesses only to use misting devices to help cool off customers and staff between noon and 9 p.m. when appropriate during warm weather months.
Romanko told council Monday that overall water usage is down 13 per cent compared to the same period last year and he believes it’s due in large part to council’s new water conservation bylaw.
While property owners in town are doing their share to conserve water, domestic watering continues by property owners in irrigation districts 8 and 9, said Romanko.
Romanko told council it could consider implementing similar water restrictions for rural homeowners as drought conditions are viewed as a valley side concern and all residents need to participate in water conservation actions.
“Council may consider implementing domestic water restrictions in irrigation district 8 and 9 … council has the authority under the bylaw,” he said. “Town council can halt water use if it’s in the public interest.”
Mayor Sue McKortoff noted that Vancouver city council enacted a city wide lawn watering ban, effective immediately, across the entire city on Monday.
“It (water conservation) is becoming quite an issue around the province,” said McKortoff. “It isn’t getting any easier.”
Most Osoyoos residents are adhering to provisions under the water conservation bylaw, but there are some who don’t know about it and some who are blatantly disobeying it, she said.
Those who are knowingly disobeying it must be warned by bylaw enforcement officers and fined if they persist on breaking the intent of the bylaw, she said.
“My hope is everybody will help out,” she said. “We all need to do our bit and try to be as considerate as possible.”
Coun. C. J. Rhodes said he wanted more information to determine if the water bylaw should be extended to rural residents in irrigation districts 8 and 9.
When he asked water councillor Claude Moreira if he would be in favour of different water regulations for residential consumers and agricultural users who live close together in rural areas, Moreira said that would cause a lot of friction and frustration.
Residential property owners pay high taxes and would object to having their domestic water use restricted, while farmers and orchardists are still able to irrigate their crops and lawns without restrictions, said Moreira.
Rhodes said he believes it’s “everyone’s responsibility’ to conserve water and he would likely favour extending the water restriction bylaw to residential property owners in irrigation districts 8 and 9 unless the staff report in August strongly suggests otherwise.
“I would like a couple more weeks … for some sober second thought to think about this,” he said. “Another couple of weeks that will let me think about the pros and cons is where I’m at.”
Romanko said he will make sure the staff report is ready for the middle of August.
Council has cancelled its first meeting following the August Civic Day long weekend, so the next meeting of town council won’t take place until the middle of August.
In relation to the use of misting devices, council responded to a request from Frances Sologuk, who owns Osoyoos Home Hardware along with her husband Larry.
The device using “only half a U.S. gallon of water per hour and provides comfort to anyone (human or canine) passing on the main street of our community,” she wrote.
“If you have had the opportunity to travel to the southern United States, you will find that these misters are used in Arizona, Nevada and California,” said Sologuk.
Rhodes said “every single drop of water is important” and agreed with a staff recommendation to deny the request.
However, that motion was defeated as the other members of council supported Sologuk’s request.
Coun. Mike Campol said while he agrees all citizens, including business owners, must assist in water conservation efforts, the concerns of small business owners must be considered and the fact is many of them use these misting devices to help cool off customers.
Campol said he hopes businesses would do their best and try and ensure these devices are only turned on when it’s “brutally hot outside.’
Council voted in favour of allowing commercial businesses to use the misting devices between noon and 9 p.m. during warm weather months.
They will need to obtain a permit from Romanko to use the devices.
Several local restaurants and other commercial business owners have used the misting devices to cool off customers in the summer months.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
