- Sweep driveways, decks and sidewalks with a broom instead of using a hose. A 15-minute clean could use 675 litres of water.
- Consider buying a dual-flush toilet. This gives the option of a water-saving half flush.
- Weed your lawn regularly. Weeds can establish roots that compete for nutrients and water.
- Run full loads in the dishwasher. A full load uses less water than handwashing.
- Reduce your shower by two minutes. This can save 460 litres of water in one month.
- Pre-treat stains and heavily soiled clothing right away. This way, they won't need to be washed twice.
- Save the water from rinsing fruit and vegetables. Use it to water house or garden plants.
- Hand wash large pots and bowls. This frees up space for a full load in the dishwasher.
- Water lawns and gardens according to regulations. Visit pittmeadows.ca/water-restrictions.
Let your lawn go dormant this summer and help conserve our region’s drinking water.
Join our community campaign and pick up a free lawn sign at Pitt Meadows City Hall, the Recreation Centre, or South Bonson Community Centre and show your neighbourhood that you’re doing your part to conserve our community’s drinking water for when it is needed most—drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
In the summer, our region’s water use can increase by 50% or more, largely due to outdoor lawn watering. We should all do our part to conserve our drinking water during the dry summer months because all water is drinking water.
Get Involved
- Pick up a free lawn sign: Pitt Meadows City Hall during business hours. Pitt Meadows residents only, limit one per household.
- Display your sign: Place the sign in the lawn of your home or business.
- Follow watering restrictions: Adjust your automatic or manual sprinkler settings according to your designated lawn watering schedule, or don't water your lawn at all!
- Spread the word: Share a photo of your sign on Instagram to spread the word! Tag @citypittmeadows and use #PittMeadowsProud for a chance to be shared on the City's social media channels.
- Pick up a free lawn sign: Pitt Meadows City Hall during business hours. Pitt Meadows residents only, limit one per household.
Your lawn needs as little as 2 cm of water a week to stay healthy. That’s the equivalent of one hour a week of rainfall or watering. It’s okay to let your lawn go brown as the summer progresses. This is a natural response to dry weather. With proper care and maintenance, your lawn will quickly green up again in the fall when heavy dews and rain return.
Visit Metro Vancouver’s Waterwise Lawn Care for an in-depth guide on how to maintain a healthy lawn year-round, or consider lawn alternatives that require less water!
FAQs
Our water is purchased from Metro Vancouver, and comes from the Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam water supply areas. To learn how it gets from the source to our taps, click here.
The City is doing its part to conserve water, including using efficient programmable sprinkler systems and alternative ways of watering sports fields and gardens. The following projects have been completed in recent years in order to conserve water at our parks and facilities:
- Replacement of old and inefficient sprinkler heads with modern, efficient heads at every park with irrigation city-wide.
- Installation of drip line irrigation along Harris Road traffic islands and hanging baskets throughout the South Bonson area. This is a much more efficient way to irrigate and is permitted through stages 1-3 of watering restrictions.
- Toro Sentinel Irrigation System that includes advanced flow monitoring, rain sensors, and advanced evapotranspiration calculation models. This allows the City to manage the system day to day and water less on rainy days.
- Replacement of aging infrastructure, maintaining the existing system, and repairing any leaks in the system.
Water Conservation at Pitt Meadows Athletic Park and other sports fields
The City's designated sports fields are maintained in the summer months for rental groups and watered as permitted under the Metro Vancouver Drinking Water Conservation Plan. These playing fields include Pitt Meadows Athletic Park (PMAP), Edith McDermott Elementary, and Harris Road Park, and they may stay green throughout the summer.
The City has implemented the following water conservation measures at PMAP:
- Toro Sentinel Irrigation System that includes advanced flow monitoring, rain sensors, and advanced evapotranspiration calculation models.
- Conducted a detailed water edit to find efficiencies at PMAP, resulting in an estimated 162,500 gallons conserved per season.
- Using soil/water sensor probes that pair with iPhone to chart field moisture levels.
- Using wetting agents to hold water in sand-based fields, improving playing surface and greatly reducing watering needs.
- Conducted a Hydrogeological Study in fall 2023 at PMAP to explore the feasibility of installing a well on-site to reduce reliance on the Metro Van water supply.
Planned Future Projects:
- Replacement of irrigation timers at Edith McDermott Elementray sports field with modern Toro Sentinel System.
- Exploring rain barrel water capture for irrigation at Rose Grabenhorst Garden and other sites throughout the city.
The Metro Vancouver region has experienced a 50% increase in potable water use, attributed primarily to lawn watering during summer months.
By conserving water, we put less strain on the existing water supply during peak demands, we can better serve a increasing population, we can defer the need to invest in costly infrastructure upgrades and we help protect a valuable resource for future generations.
Visit Metro Vancouver’s Waterwise Lawn Care for an in-depth guide on how to maintain a healthy lawn year-round.