Gardeners free from restrictions on watering

City ordered weekly watering because system was running low

Six weeks of tight watering restrictions have ended for residents of Southeast Kelowna.

Normal operations have resumed, so people in the area can now irrigate their lawns and gardens up to three times a week.

Once-a-week watering was ordered in mid-July, as city officials said the system was running so low there might not be enough capacity for drinking and washing, or firefighting.

“We appreciate the conservation efforts of residents in this area as we return to our normal watering restriction schedule,” water operations manager Andy Weremy said in a city news release.

The city took over the now defunct Southeast Kelowna Irrigation District two years ago and is building a new distribution system in the area.

The potential water shortage problem arose, in large part, because some owners of large rural properties are continuing to use potable water for irrigation, and have not yet switched over to a non-potable system.

“The expansion of potable water into southeast Kelowna has been a massive undertaking and completed in a very short period of time,” infrastructure director Alan Newcombe said in the release.

“Commissioning the new system at the start of the peak irrigation season has been a challenge and resulted in an unanticipated negative impact to many of our customers. Staff will report to council this fall with a project review to identify lessons learned and any resiliency issues that need to be addressed before the 2021 irrigation season,” Newcombe added.