June 15, 2026

I doubt there is anyone living on the Semiahmoo peninsula who watches the weather here more than myself.  I am outdoors so much either working, playing or relaxing that I'm barely housebroken.  Because of this I follow multiple weather forecasting sites looking at hourly, 3-day, weekly and 14-day forecasts.  I also obsess over meteorological data both current and historical to gauge how our weather is doing.  Once we get into the late spring and summer, I follow local changes in the sprinkling restrictions issued by Metro Vancouver so that I know what water usage is allowed, what is prohibited, and how large the fine is if By-law officers arrive at my door when the sprinkler is running when it shouldn't be.

This year has already been odd in that with low snow pack from a warm winter coupled with 20% of the regular monthly precipitation in both April and May, Metro Vancouver started watering restrictions on May 1st by going immediately to Stage 2.  This meant that instead of allowing lawn watering only once a week as is usual for Stage 1, all lawn watering was completely prohibited for Stage 2.  On June 8th, Metro Vancouver initiated Stage 3 water restrictions that include an outright ban on all automatic irrigation (lawn and plants), as well as filling pools and water features, washing motor vehicles, plus impermeable surfaces for aesthetic purposes.  Part of this reasoning was the ongoing work to Met-Van's Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel Project that is months behind schedule with work still ongoing.

Now if you read my May 19th TNT titled "Brown Is The New Green", you would know that the grass is always greener on the other side of North Bluff Road.  White Rock is still on Stage 1 watering restrictions because they have their own water system that is supplied by seven wells across the city drawing from the Sunnyside Uplands Aquifer.  So while the rest of the Lower Mainland faces brown lawns and dirty cars, White Rockers get to stay green and clean this summer.  I have to admit that I washed all four of our vehicles on June 7th after hearing that Vancouver and Richmond had already posted Stage 3 watering restrictions on their city websites.  With our friends living in White Rock, I was planning on washing vehicles at their properties if needed and was looking at water diversion and containment systems to catch water from our rooftop gutters for use on the lawns, plus gardens if needed.

This brings us to the big city of Surrey.  While browsing through social media this weekend, I came across an ad from the City of Surrey.  It read "Still unsure about water restrictions in Surrey?  Here's a quick snapshot of the most current water restrictions in place as of June 8.  A reminder that Surrey allows more flexibility is water use to support community needs while protecting water supply."  Amazingly, while lawn watering was banned, washing of vehicles and boats, power washing, topping up of pools, spas and fountains were still allowed.  On top of this landscaping for new buildings was also allowed to be irrigated plus you could also get special sprinkling permits for new lawns or chafer beetle control.  To me this sounded exactly like the Stage 2 watering restrictions that had been shelved by Metro Vancouver a week previous when they went to Stage 3.  

I quickly contacted a friend of mine who works for Surrey about the discrepancy and got this detailed explanation.  "Metro Vancouver provides overall suggestions for water restrictions and their primary emphasis this year is due to water main construction in Stanley Park, which Surrey's water does not flow through.  Water restrictions and Bylaws vary by each city to allow municipalities the flexibility to adapt to their own needs.  Surrey does not get its water from the same source as Vancouver, Richmond and some other municipalities.  Surrey's Engineering Dept. has final authority and the General Manager has assessed the water situation differently in order to meet the needs of the residents and businesses.  Surrey remains at Stage 2 water restrictions right now and the City encourages residents to visit the Surrey.ca website for the activities that are currently permitted."

So Metro Vancouver is on Stage 3..., Surrey is on Stage 2..., and White Rock is on Stage 1..., BOOM..., blow my mind.  I shared this with the WR Sun Editor Dave Chesney who told me that Surrey had updated their Drinking Water Conservation Plan bylaw on May 25 to allow them to set their own local restrictions.  You can read it in the White Rock Sun Local News section from May 26th but here are the key bylaw updates that include: 

• Expanding residential lawn-watering hours under Stage 1 from 5 to 7am to 5 to 8am

• Allowing special sprinkling permits during Stage 2, with extensions permitted in Stage 3 

• Allowing filling and topping up of small residential pools (≤5,000 litres) during Stage 3  

• Maintaining access to cooling measures, including spray parks, misting stations, and municipal pools at all stages 

• Clarifying exceptions for municipal operations and construction activity during Stages 1, 2, 3 

The updated bylaw clarifies that the City has the authority to activate water restriction stages to reflect local conditions.  The City will continue to keep residents and businesses informed about watering restrictions.  If Surrey's restrictions differ from regional measures, the City will share additional updates, so people know what rules apply.  Residents and businesses found in violation of the restrictions will receive warnings. Repeat or serious offenders will be issued fines in accordance with established bylaw procedures to ensure water is preserved for essential uses, including firefighting. 

So Surrey, the second largest city in the Lower Mainland with a growing population of 720,000 residents, has decided that Stage 2 watering restrictions are good enough for now.  That is interesting since Delta, Langley City and Langley Township on either side of Surrey all are at Stage 3 following the Metro-Vancouver guidelines.   I guess I won't have to bother washing my vehicles in White Rock as I can simply do it at home.  Of course, my friends in Delta and Langley will now want to come over to clean their cars and trucks in our driveway.  While they are doing this it would be a real shame if they accidentally sprayed water onto our lawn, keeping it moist, green and healthy for the summer.  After all, I wouldn't want to look at all the manicured lawns in White Rock under Stage 1 and be green with envy.

Learn more about the water restrictions in Surrey at surrey.ca/sprinkling

https://www.surrey.ca/services-payments/water-drainage-sewer/water/water-conservation/water-restrictions 

Naturally yours,

Don Pitcairn

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