RDN News Release - Stage 4 Watering Restrictions in Effect

Effective immediately until further notice, all Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Water Service Areas are under Stage 4 watering restrictions. On July 18, the provincial government elevated eastern Vancouver Island to Provincial Drought Level 4 due to low flow levels in rivers and streams throughout the region and below-average groundwater levels in some regional aquifers. The continued warmer and drier-than-seasonal conditions forecasted by Environment and Climate Change Canada will likely further impact water levels throughout the rest of the summer. As a result of these conditions, the Province is asking local water providers to implement increasingly stricter watering restrictions. Stage 4 restrictions help ensure the community’s essential water needs for drinking water, hygiene and fire protection are met, water flows for fish and aquatic habitats are maintained, and targeted water use reduction is achieved.