Excess water usage might leave some residents with lighter wallets | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
Subscribe

Would you like to subscribe to our newsletter?

Current Conditions Cloudy  5.0°C

Penticton News

Excess water usage might leave some residents with lighter wallets

READ THE SIGN: Tall grass means having to water your lawns less. The taller blades shade the ground from the sun.
Image Credit: Source/Okanagan Water Wise and City of Penticton

PENTICTON — Breaking water restrictions could mean a $25 fee each and every time the rules are broken.

The City of Penticton has put Stage One water restrictions in effect. That means those with automatic irrigation systems should set them to operate from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. while those with manual sprinklers can water from 6 to 8 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.

Resident street addresses determine when lawns and landscapes can be watered. If the home has an even-numbered address, residents can irrigate on even-numbered days of the month. The same applies with odd-numbered street addresses and odd-numbered days of the month. The same rules apply to mobile home park residences.

City spokesperson Simone Blais said the fine is smaller compared to the fines handed out by other municipalities thanks to Penticton's plentiful water supplies. And those who break the rules have to be reported on by neighbours, passersby and the like.

Residents can use less water depending on how tall the grass is. The less a lawn is watered the further the roots grow seeking moisture. This makes for a tougher batch of grass, able to withstand dryer conditions. The taller grass blades grow the better it is also.

The tall grass blades better shadow the ground preventing lower-growing pest plants from receiving needed sunlight.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Shannon Quesnel at squesnel@infotelnews.ca, call 250-488-3065 or tweet @shannonquesnel1

News from © iNFOnews, 2013
iNFOnews

  • Popular kelowna News
View Site in: Desktop | Mobile