The Zosel Dam in Oroville, WA helps to maintain the level of Osoyoos Lake. It also forms a barrier for sockeye salmon migrating up the Okanogan River in Washington to Osoyoos Lake. (Richard McGuire photo)
As the drought situation threatens to become more severe, Osoyoos is imposing water restrictions.
Council voted on Monday to restrict sprinkling of lawns and some other uses of water for residential and commercial properties to twice a week.
Homes with even numbered addresses will only be allowed to water on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Those with odd numbered addresses will only be allowed to water on Sundays and Wednesdays.
It will be another week and a half to two weeks before the restrictions come into effect because of the need to advertise the restrictions to the public, said Barry Romanko, town chief administrative officer.
Council considered imposing alternate watering days, but opted instead to limit watering to twice a week.
Councillor C.J. Rhodes, who moved the motion to impose the restrictions, said the twice-weekly watering instead of alternate-day watering would not make a difference to plants, but it would make a significant difference to water conservation.
“It’s a pretty desperate situation and I thought it was important to bump it up another stage,” said Rhodes.
Other council members all spoke in support of the decision and the motion was approved unanimously.
The restrictions are being imposed under the town’s Water Conservation and Staged Restriction Bylaw 1273, which specifies times that watering can take place, even in normal conditions, and also sets out a number of exemptions. That bylaw is on the town’s website at www.osoyoos.ca.
The vote followed on a report to council by Romanko that included emails from the B.C. River Forecast Centre and the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB).
In its May 15 report, the River Forecast Centre noted that snowpack levels in the Okanagan and Similkameen have fallen to “extremely low” levels, with the Okanagan at 41 per cent of normal for this time of year and the Similkameen at 29 per cent.
Anna Warwick Sears, executive director of the OBWB, recommended Stage 1 restrictions – alternate watering days – saying these aren’t too onerous for residents.
“It’s a good way to prepare them for potential shortages later in the summer,” she wrote. “The dam operators will be holding water at Zosel to supply the fish needs in the lower Okanogan River, making it appear that there is abundant water. But as the season wears on, excess use by Osoyoos residents may end up taking away from the sockeye run later in the season. Basically, it’s a shared resource and when it’s time to cut back we all have a responsibility.”
B.C. Hydro has said this is the fourth lowest water year on record, she said, and the State of Washington has declared a drought emergency. The Province of B.C. is also gearing up its drought response team.
“It seems reasonable to conserve water now and get ready for a dry summer,” she wrote. “As Canada’s only desert, wouldn’t it be odd not to conserve water during a drought? … Personally, I think it’s going to be a long hot summer with high demand.”
Rhodes noted that Osoyoos has been in a drought situation for years and years, but “we’ve become complacent.”
Mayor Sue McKortoff echoed Rhodes’ concerns.
“While we can look out the window and see that the lake has plenty of water in it, that can change drastically if we don’t have any rain,” she said.
June is normally the rainiest month in Osoyoos and rain clouds were building as councillors debated the issue. Nonetheless, amounts of precipitation remain low.
The River Forecast Centre cited long-range temperature forecasts from Environment Canada indicating a high likelihood of above normal temperatures for the next three months. Precipitation is forecasted to be normal, although these forecasts are less reliable than temperatures, the centre noted.
Romanko clarified that the restrictions can be lifted if conditions warrant by a simple resolution of council.
Coun. Mike Campol said it was important to take action now.
“Any time we’re in a position where we have an opportunity to be proactive with a situation, rather than have to go into emergency reactive mode, I think it’s worthwhile to take full advantage of those opportunities,” he said.
Coun. Carol Youngberg pointed to the OBWB’s Make Water Work campaign as an opportunity to educate the public about water conservation.
“Communication and knowledge is so important to the residents of Osoyoos,” she said. “I think this is a really important thing to get out to all the residents so they understand the importance of selecting the two watering dates per week.”
The restrictions apply to residential, commercial and other non-agricultural properties.
Besides agriculture, there are other exemptions including watering of sports fields, turf farms where failing to water would result in loss of plants. Watering of flower and vegetable gardens, decorative planters, shrubs and trees is also exempt when using micro-irrigation, drip irrigation or a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
Car washes are also exempt as long as the water used for each vehicle doesn’t exceed 57 litres, though Romanko noted this will be difficult to monitor.
Tee-off areas and putting greens of golf courses are exempt under the bylaw, but Romanko pointed out that local courses use recycled water.
The use of water hoses for washing boats or vehicles will be prohibited and washing of buildings, driveways and parking lots is restricted.
There are additional restrictions already in place governing the time of use for sprinkling systems.
Noting that the volume of water in the lake could change drastically if there isn’t rain, McKortoff said: “We’re doing a rain dance for the month of June.”
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
