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Watering schedule in effect throughout Airdrie

Airdrie residents will need to plan ahead before watering their lawns this spring and summer, as the City’s new Waterworks Bylaw includes a year-round watering schedule in an effort to enhance the long-term water sustainability of the community.
New schedule
A new watering schedule implemented by the City of Airdrie means residents will need to water their lawns and plants at specific times on specific days of the week, according to their addresses.

Airdrie residents will need to plan ahead before watering their lawns this spring and summer, as the City’s new Waterworks Bylaw includes a year-round watering schedule in an effort to enhance the long-term water sustainability of the community.

“We really pride ourselves, as a City, as being sustainable, and a leader in sustainability,” said Erin Murray, communications advisor with the City of Airdrie. “Taking these steps toward water conservation is going to ensure that we always have water available.”

Airdrie receives its water from the City of Calgary, where there is currently no watering schedule in place, she said. This water is sourced from the Bow River, which Murray said has been impacted in recent years by rising temperatures around the globe.

“The glacier that feeds the Bow has seen quite a bit of depletion over the past few decades,” Murray said. “And although that’s kind of a small source, the snow and rain melt also feed the river, and with climate change, some of those sources may not always be there.”

To try to address these concerns, the City adopted a new Waterworks bylaw in February, which will implement a watering schedule across the entire municipality.

Residents at addresses ending in even numbers, according to Murray, can water their lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 6 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. for hose-connected sprinklers, or from 1 to 4 a.m. for automatic irrigation systems. Addresses ending in odd numbers can water Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays with the same time restrictions.

“Because this is the first year that this has been implemented, we’re really focusing on education – we’re not going to be getting officers out there, clocking how long people have their sprinklers on,” Murray said. “The spirit of the bylaw is water conservation.”

Responses to the City’s new bylaw have been mixed, according to Murray, who attributed the negative reactions to a lack of information. While the new bylaw will determine when residents can water their lawns, most of the greater impacts will only be experienced in the case of a water shortage.

“We had a lot of people saying that they were frustrated that they couldn’t fill up the kiddie pool, or let their kids run through the sprinkler, but you’ll still be able to do those things,” she said. “You can even have fountains and decorative water features on any day, during Level 1 water restrictions.”

The City has introduced other initiatives to save water, Murray said, including using sensors that turn off the sprinklers if it starts to rain, remotely-monitored metered irrigation sites, xeriscaping (planting drought-tolerant and native plants) and employing sprinkler systems that use recycled stormwater.

“So, if someone sees a sprinkler on City land that is watering when it’s raining, it’s likely that’s happening on purpose – it helps remove the salt that can accumulate in stormwater,” Murray said. “There’s lots of ways that we’re already saving water, but we’re always looking for how we can be better, as well.”

And not only is water conservation better for the community and the environment, Murray added, but homeowners will see another benefit – lower utility bills.

“Any time that you’re saving water, you’re also saving money,” she said. “We can all do our part by conserving as much water as you can, and this watering schedule is just one way to do that.”

For more tips on water conservation, visit the City of Airdrie’s website.




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