It builds on top of Stage 2<\/a>, which prohibits lawn watering entirely, filling or topping up aesthetic water features like fountains, and washing surfaces like driveways and sidewalks. Metro Vancouver implemented Stage 2 on May 1.<\/p>\n But the City of Surrey decided only to implement Stage 2, and not Stage 3, like the rest of the region.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the first time that we can recall, there has been an inconsistency when it comes to activating water restrictions,\u201d said Jerry Dobrovolny, Metro Vancouver\u2019s commissioner and chief administrative officer, at the Greater Vancouver Water District Board special council meeting on June 19.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to remind you all, our drinking water system is one system,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n At the meeting, the City of Surrey took some heat for its decision, given that Metro Vancouver is warning of a limited water supply this year and the potential for several cities to have insufficient water pressure if water use gets too high.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very uncomfortable with this conversation,\u201d said Meghan Lahti, mayor of Port Moody, adding that she wanted to find a way they can compel Surrey to follow the rules.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think that that\u2019s out of bullying, I think it\u2019s, \u2018We\u2019re all part of this \u2026 We\u2019re in this together,’\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cAre we going to wait until we get to an emergency before we compel?\u201d<\/p>\n Jen McCutcheon, the director of Electoral Area A (representing people living in the UBC area), said that the situation \u201cseems unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTo be honest, I find this conversation quite upsetting. Our region relies on us working collaboratively and cooperating as a region, and if we\u2019re not going to do that, I don\u2019t know,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But Linda Buchanan, the mayor of North Vancouver, pointed out that Metro Vancouver does not have the authority to tell Surrey what to do. The District does not have a mechanism to force members to follow restrictions unless an emergency is declared.<\/p>\n \u201cPitting ourselves against one another is actually not helpful, in my opinion,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat is our plan? What are we going to do collectively to actually get the message out, be prepared, and then have a conversation? I\u2019m a little shocked that Metro Van has not picked up the phone and had a conversation with Surrey and is relying on the media for their information,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n After a two-hour discussion, the board passed a motion to ask Surrey\u2019s Mayor and Council to work with staff to align with Metro Vancouver\u2019s ongoing water restrictions and response.<\/p>\n Why are we in Stage 3 water restrictions? Elena_Alex_Ferns\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n Marilyn Towill, the general manager of water supply at Metro Vancouver, said that summer 2026 is \u201cquite different.\u201d<\/p>\n Not only is the region\u2019s snow pack extremely low,<\/a> and it\u2019s forecasted to be a hot summer<\/a>, but the District is currently building a new water supply tunnel through Stanley Park to replace a water main from the 1930s.<\/p>\n To do so, it has had to close down one of the region\u2019s main water supply pipes from the North Shore reservoirs.<\/p>\n While they started construction on the pipe last fall with the intention to finish it over the winter \u2014 and before the peak summer season \u2014 it has taken longer than expected.<\/p>\n Murray Gant, director of major projects for Metro Vancouver, said that as they got into the work, they realized they had more concrete to demolish than they had first realized.<\/p>\n Right now, they hope to turn the First Narrows Crossing back on mid to end July.<\/p>\n For these three reasons, Towill said that it\u2019s important to keep water consumption below 1.4 billion litres a day. If the region exceeds this, it could impact water pressure and the ability to use water in emergency situations.<\/p>\n Water use in 2026 compared to 2025. Metro Vancouver Regional District<\/p>\n In a typical summer, Metro Vancouver\u2019s water usage usually jumps to 1.5 billion litres a day.<\/p>\n How does our water system work, and what\u2019s different this year?<\/p>\n Metro Vancouver has three water sources, Capilano, Seymour, and Coquitlam, and two treatment plants, the Seymour Capilano Filtration Plant and the Coquitlam Water Treatment Plant.<\/p>\n This treated water then travels through main corridors to connect to the region: the First Narrows Crossing (the one that is out of commission), the Second Narrows Crossing (by the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge), and then the Coquitlam Corridor.<\/p>\n Then, pipes move the water east to west or west to east, as well as five water crossings of the Fraser River to take the water to the Southern part of the region, where they can also move water east to west and west to east.<\/p>\n \u201cTo be perfectly clear, all these pipes are connected to each other,\u201d said Towill.\u00a0\u201cDon\u2019t assume that your drinking water is always coming from the source that\u2019s closest to you.\u201d<\/p>\n They use pumps located across the region to move water in different directions.<\/p>\n During a normal summer, water typically flows north to south, water crosses the first and second narrows by gravity, and Coquitlam usually supplies the eastern part of the region.<\/p>\n However, with the First Narrows Crossing not in service, there are currently only two water crossings: Second Narrows and Coquitlam.<\/p>\n Because Second Narrows has limited capacity, the region is heavily relying on the Coquitlam source, which has three competing priorities: supplying water to the southern part of the region, supporting water in the western part of the region, and maintaining system pressures for the Tri-Cities area.<\/p>\n Towill said that as they near 1.4 billion litres of daily water use, \u201ccareful balancing will be required.\u201d<\/p>\n If they can\u2019t maintain a balance between the three competing sources, then they risk seeing insufficient pressure in Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, and Coquitlam, which all rely on a minimum pressure to supply drinking water to their communities.<\/p>\n Further, they risk not refilling a key reservoir south of the Fraser overnight, which could impact the Township of Langley, the City of Langley, and the City of Surrey.<\/p>\n There could also potentially be insufficient pressure in Vancouver, Richmond, and the University Endowment Lands.<\/p>\n What does Surrey have to say? Ola List\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n
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