Each year on May 1, Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) and municipal water systems and participating partners will collectively implement Stage 1 water restrictions in an effort to conserve water use on residential properties and ensure aquifers and lakes can withstand the increasingly dry summers.

In Stage 1 sprinkling can occur 2 hours maximum, 2 days per week between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9 a.m. Hand-watering, micro/drip irrigation subject to daily maximum for food or ornamental gardens is allowed.

Local governments and water purveyors across the Cowichan region continue to collaborate on water restrictions to ensure they balance the needs of residents for household use, fire protection and irrigation with those of the watersheds, in recognition of the extreme drought conditions experienced in recent summers.

Water restrictions apply to all CVRD water systems, and City of Duncan, Municipality of North Cowichan, Cowichan Tribes, Town of Ladysmith, Town of Lake Cowichan, and Diamond Improvement District. Residents of other improvement districts and private water systems along with private well owners in the region are encouraged to follow regional water restrictions.

Visit the Cowichan Adapts website to learn more about water conversation, what is allowed during water restrictions, including a Water Restrictions Map where you can type in your address to find the current stage of restrictions on each water system in the region: https://cowichanadapts.ca/.