A condominium development under construction in Port Coquitlam has received numerous complaints for watering its lawn but the owner said Metro Vancouver's sprinkling ban is not being violated.
Luis Gil, the president of LRG Group of Companies, which is overseeing the Altura development on Welcher Avenue, said his crews have tapped into ground water for its grass and gardens.
He told The Tri-City News Port Coquitlam has a high water table and workers have been using an electric sump pump located in the building's basement to bring the water up to the lawns.
"We are not the bad guys," Gil said. "We are the good guys that are thinking outside the box."
Under Metro Vancouver's Stage 3 watering ban, lawn sprinkling is not permitted on residential and commercial properties, including businesses and strata corporations. There are no exemptions for new shrubs or grass and those in contravention of the rules can face fines of upwards of $300.
Pardeep Purewal, PoCo's manager of communications and administrative services, said there are no rules prohibiting the use of ground water for lawn sprinkling.
The company did use city water one day last week, for which it was fined, she said, but has been using pumps and groundwater ever since.
She confirmed the city had also received multiple complaints from residents concerned about the watering taking place on the property.
"They continue to use the ground water and we continue to monitor them," Purewal said. "It's on our radar for sure, though."
This summer has been particularly dry and Metro Vancouver officials said reservoir levels are at their lowest point in years.
But since implementing the stage 3 ban, officials said that conditions appear to have stabilized and that it is unlikely that further restrictions will be necessary.
