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### Services
# Water Conservation Regulations
The Town of Gibsons is currently at Stage 1
### About Water Regulations
Water regulations are in place from May 1 to October 15 every year to promote sustainable water use and ensure supply for essential needs like firefighting.
Thanks to ongoing aquifer monitoring and community conservation efforts, Gibsons' water supply remains healthy and reliable. Since outdoor water use is significantly higher in the drier months, seasonal regulations help manage use, protect infrastructure, and support environmental health.
**Not sure if you're in the Town or the SCRD?** Search for your address here.
Have questions? Visit our **FAQ page.**
### Regulation Stages
*+ Click on a 'stage' below to view the regulations.*
### Stage 1
######
##### Using a sprinkler or soaker hose to water lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables
**7-9 am & 7-9 pm**
* **Even addresses:**Tues, Thurs, Sun
* **Odd addresses:** Mon, Wed, Sat
**\*Watering an unestablished** new lawn requires a permit. The permit must be displayed on the lawn
##### Hand watering trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, including greenhouse plants
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with a container or spray trigger nozzle.
#####
##### Hand watering lawns
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle.
##### Washing vehicles or boats
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle.
######
##### Washing sidewalks and driveways, windows, fences or exterior building surfaces
ONLY with **spray trigger nozzle or pressure washer.**
######
##### Filling swimming pools, spas, garden ponds, decorative fountains
**Ok**
#### Fines for infractions
$100
### Stage 2
##### Using a sprinkler or soaker hose to water lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables
**Ok between 7 am to 9 am on specific days.**
* **Even addresses:** Thurs, Sun 7-9 am
* **Odd addresses:** Wed, Sat 7-9 am
**\*Watering unestablished new lawns:**As per existing permits. No new permits issued
######
##### Hand watering trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, including greenhouse plants
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle.
#####
##### Hand watering lawns
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle.
######
##### Washing vehicles or boats
**Ok at any tim**e, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle.
######
##### Washing sidewalks and driveways, windows, fences or exterior building surfaces
**Not allowed** except pressure washing to prep for paint, etc. or as required by law or health/safety.
######
##### Filling swimming pools, spas, garden ponds, and decorative fountains
**Ok**
#### Fines for infractions
$200
### Stage 3
######
##### Using a sprinkler or soaker hose to water lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables
**Not allowed** except with micro/drip irrigation
**\*Watering unestablished new lawns:**Not allowed
######
##### Hand watering trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, including greenhouse plants
**Ok at any time**, ONLY with container or spray trigger nozzle
##### Hand watering lawns
**Not allowed**
######
##### Washing vehicles or boats
**Not allowed** except for washing salt water from equipment
######
##### Washing sidewalks and driveways, windows, fences or exterior building surfaces
**Not allowed**except as required for health/safety
######
##### Filling swimming pools, spas, garden ponds, and decorative fountains
**Not allowed**
#### Fines for infractions
$300
### Stage 4
######
##### Using a sprinkler or soaker hose to water lawns, trees, shrubs, flowers or vegetables
Not allowed
**\*Watering unestablished new lawns:**Not allowed
######
##### Hand watering trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables, including greenhouse plants
Not allowed
##### Hand watering lawns
Not allowed
##### Washing vehicles or boats
Not allowed
######
##### Washing sidewalks and driveways, windows, fences or exterior building surfaces
Not allowed except as required by law for health/safety
######
##### Filling swimming pools, spas, garden ponds, decorative fountains
Not allowed
######
#### Fines for infractions
$400
Download Water Regulation Chart
### FAQs
#### Why are Gibsons' regulations different than the SCRD?
The SCRD relies primarily on the Chapman Creek watershed, where water availability depends on rainfall, snowpack, stream flows, reservoir storage, and treatment capacity. During hot, dry summers, those factors can become limiting, requiring stricter conservation measures.
The Town of Gibsons, on the other hand, draws its drinking water from **Aquifer 560**, a confined underground aquifer. Years of monitoring show the aquifer remains healthy and capable of meeting the Town's needs.
As a result, Gibsons' seasonal watering regulations are designed to manage demand, protect firefighting capacity, stay within the Town's water licence, and reduce stress on infrastructure and the environment.
#### Do the water regulations apply to all zones?
Yes. All water zones within the Town of Gibsons (1, 2 & 3) are required to follow the same conservation regulations.
View a map of the water zones here.
#### Why do we have water regulations?
* Water use significantly increases in the dryer months, it is important to keep conservation top of mind and to all make efforts to reduce our use.
* The water license we hold with the Province of BC limits the amount of water we can draw from the Aquifer, so we need to manage our water use in order to adhere to our limits.
* Climate change is dramatically affecting what we consider to be "normal" conditions. We all need to adopt a more conservation-minded approach to our water use. Regardless of the abundance of water available, we still need to keep water conservation top of mind.
#### How are regulations enforced?
The WATER REGULATION BYLAW No. 1192, 2014 sets out the regulations. Repeated failure to comply with the bylaw may result in fines.
#### How do I report a concern?
If you have a concern about water conservation or sprinkling, please call 604-886-2274 or email us at: [email protected].
#### Why do we need to conserve water?
**Here are some of the reasons why we need to conserve water:**
**For the Environment**
Water conservation is vital for protecting our aquifer and maintaining a healthy ecosystem. By reducing our water usage, we alleviate pressure on the system, safeguarding natural habitats and biodiversity for generations to come.
**For our Community**
As License holders and co-stewards of Aquifer 560, it's our responsibility to conserve water for the well-being of our community. By conserving now, we ensure there's enough water readily available to meet our needs at home and business], and for essential services like fire protection.
**For the Economy**
Every drop counts not just for the environment but also for our town's finances. By limiting our water usage, we avoid costly upgrades to our water infrastructure and stay within the limits of our water license, saving valuable financial resources.
### Water Conservation Tips
##### Outdoor
* Collect rainwater for watering the garden by using a rain barrel or rain harvesting system.
* Plant drought-resistant trees and plants. Many native plants can survive on rainwater alone. Practice xeriscaping or look for plants with the low water use sticker.
* Add a few inches of mulch to your gardens to keeps plant roots cool and moist. Organic mulches (e.g. grass clippings) also release nutrients back into the soil.
* Let your lawn go brown. If you do sprinkle it, do so in the early morning or evening to reduce evaporation by up to 75%.
##### Indoor
* **Drinking Water:** Fill the pitcher and place it in the fridge for coll, ready-to drink water. (Running the tap to cool water loses 12 litres per minute)
* **Showers:** Keep showers to 5 minutes. Each minute in the shower uses 10 litres of drinking water.
* **Toilets:** Flush only when necessary. Please do not use toilets to flush other types of waste.
Replace conventional toilets with low-flow or high-efficiency toilets. They use only 3-6 litres per flush instead of 18 litres, saving a lot of water!
* **Dishwashing:** Use basins or a plugged sink when washing by hand. Run dishwashers when full.
* **Laundry:** Run only full loads.