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Sooke eyes watering ban in local parks

The municipality will not allow watering if the Capital Regional District goes to Stage 2 or Stage 3 water restrictions this summer.
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Sooke council will not allow the watering of grass in parks if the Capital Regional District goes to Stage 2 or Stage 3 water restrictions.

Your neighbourhood park’s green grass could be brown by the end of summer.

Sooke council will not allow the watering of grass in parks, except Ed MacGregor Park, if the Capital Regional District goes to Stage 2 or Stage 3 water restrictions this summer.

The decision follows a recommendation from council’s parks and trails advisory committee.

The CRD has a new water conservation bylaw which affects municipalities, allowing water in public parks on Monday and Friday between 1 to 10 a.m. and 7 to 10 p.m.

“With the recent rain and water levels in the Sooke Lake Reservoir we may well not advance to stage 2 or 3,” said committee member Mark Zeigler.

With Stage 2, lawn watering is permitted once a week and there are limitations on washing sidewalks and the exterior of buildings.

Under Stage 3, there’s no lawn watering, filling of swimming pools, hot tubs or garden ponds, filling or operating an ornamental fountain or washing a car or boat.

If stage 2 or 3 is enacted, the municipality would still be permitted to water shrubs and flowers. New lawns can also be watered.

“If we are asking the public to embrace watering restrictions, then the municipality should follow suit,” said Coun. Rick Kasper, Sooke’s representative on the CRD board.

Coun. Ebony Logins, who once worked at the tourist information centre in Sooke, suggested the district send out an advisory explaining the policy, and why the grass is brown.

“It would just be good to have that little education piece four our tourists and residents,” she said.

Fines for water during restricted times range from $100 to $300.