Why have water restrictions when there is no shortage?

Today there are more than 243 billion litres of water in Vancouver’s watershed. In the 2016 census Greater Vancouver had 2,463,000 people, which leaves 100,000 litres of water available per person.

Why does the Vancouver area face nearly 6 months a year of water restrictions?

Two key issues highlighted in Metro Vancouver’s climate projections address the restrictions question. First , Vancouver’s supply of water is not endless as the snow pack is expected to shrink  56% by 2050, and the region is expexted to get 13% less rainfall.

From a drinking water perspective, the rain comes in the fall,winter, and early spring..then things dry out.

Becoming water efficient is important as Vancouver is expecting another 1 million people to the region by 2050, with a possible water supply gap by 2030…and water for firefighting needs to be accounted for.

The city says water usage doubles in the summer due to lawn and garden watering. One hour of watering can equal 25 toilet flushes, five loads of laundry, and 5 dishwasher loads combined.

Looks like Vancouver is trying to get ahead of the future.


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