{"id":808866,"date":"2026-07-17T23:21:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T23:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808866\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T23:21:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T23:21:13","slug":"kamloops-declares-drought-level-4-water-restrictions-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808866\/","title":{"rendered":"Kamloops declares Drought Level 4; water restrictions to come"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Under Drought Level 4:<\/p>\n<p>\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783590790_152_indicator-big.gif\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Lawn watering using a sprinkler or by hand is reduced to one day per week.<br \/>\nWatering of trees, shrubs, plants (including food-producing plants and crops), and flowers using sprinkler is reduced to one day a week, but drip irrigation remains permitted three days a week.<br \/>\nWashing driveways, sidewalks, patios, buildings, and other hard surfaces is permitted by pressure washer only.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery drop counts during heightened periods of drought,\u201d said Jen Fretz, the City\u2019s Deputy Chief Administrative Officer and Civic Operations Director. \u201cThe actions residents and businesses take now will help reduce demand on our water system and support our community as dry conditions continue.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Watering days are are determined by the last two digits of your legal street address. With addresses ending in 00 to 30, watering day is on Tuesdays, those ending in 31 to 60 can water on Wednesdays, and those ending in 61 to 99 can water on Thursdays.<\/p>\n<p>The preferred tome for automated watering is between midnight and 7:00 a.m., with irrigation prohibited between 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cResidents are reminded that a brown lawn is a normal response to hot, dry weather and does not increase wildfire risk. Dormant grass will recover when cooler, wetter conditions return,\u201d added the city statement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResidents are encouraged to focus watering efforts on trees and shrubs using permitted methods such as drip irrigation. Healthy trees and well-maintained shrubbery contribute to the urban canopy and can play an important role in creating more resilient landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The City said Drought Level 4 restrictions will remain in effect until conditions improve and officials determine it is appropriate to move to a lower response level.<\/p>\n<p>City staff added they\u2019re also doing their part to reduce water use during elevated drought levels.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIrrigation at parks and other municipal landscapes will be reduced in accordance with the Drought Response Plan,\u201d said the City.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSome treed areas, sports fields, and recreational spaces will continue to receive targeted watering to maintain safe playing surfaces and support community recreation. These spaces host leagues, tournaments, community events, and provide important places for residents to gather, stay active, and connect with one another.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, water parks are not affected by Drought Level 4 restrictions, as they are managed through the City\u2019s Extreme Heat Response Plan. City staff said they will remain open to help residents stay cool during periods of extreme heat.<\/p>\n<p>You can find more details about water conservation and Kamloops\u2019s water restriction levels <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kamloops.ca\/our-community\/environment-sustainability\/water-use\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cResidents are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the current restrictions and look for simple ways to reduce water use at home, including fixing leaking faucets and irrigation systems, sweeping driveways and sidewalks instead of washing them with water, and running dishwashers and washing machines with full loads only,\u201d said City staff.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Under Drought Level 4: Lawn watering using a sprinkler or by hand is reduced to one day per&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808867,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":["post-808866","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808866","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808866"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808866\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808866"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808866"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808866"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}