Will Tri-City residents and other Lower Mainland residents give up green lawns and clean cars to save water?
That's the idea behind Metro Vancouver's We Love Water Campaign.
And while many might wonder what the fuss is about given continued wet weather for much of June, the long-term outlook is for continued dry summers, making it important for people to conserve H20, says the chair of Metro Vancouver's utilities committee.
"We need to develop good habits," said Darrell Mussatto. "We're trying to make people more conscious of their water use."
"We want to change that to having a golden lawn is a beautiful thing," — Darrell Mussatto, chair of Metro Vancouver's utilities committee.
Indeed, the region hopes to capitalize on awareness raised last year when Metro Vancouver banned sprinkling because of months of hot, dry summer weather.
Last year's water campaign bore fruit and water consumption is down, but not enough to offset population growth. And without greater efforts, the region could be facing high costs for building high dams and more infrastructure.
"We are in a much better situation," Mussatto said, noting that recent rains and the melting snowpack have kept reservoirs full.
But now is not the time to get complacent, he said, because Vancouver could be hit with a dry spell at any time.
"We want to be in good habits when we are in drier period, and if we have good habits and we don't waste water, we'll be OK."
Mussatto said last year's drought scared many people and demand has lessened but water consumption is still high compared to that in other jurisdictions — and is forecasted to grow with more people moving to the region.
But instead of nagging people or pointing to a grim future of a Mad Max desert dystopia, Metro is trying to get people to take pride in pristine watersheds and show their love for water by posting photos on Twitter and Instagram (@MetroVancouver, #welovewaterMV and #waterwise).
The initiative is supposed to counter a lack of awareness about the need for water conservation. According to feedback from public opinion research and focus groups, people don't know why they should conserve water and won't listen to advertising that blames or reprimands them. Still, they tend to be environmentally conscious and are willing to do what it takes to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
The campaign is especially targeted to single-family homeowners who tend to use the most water, with lawn sprinkling the biggest sponge of the region's water supply.
"If you want your lawn to be healthy, it needs six to eight inches of top soil, then the roots go down. Let it dry out, the water table drops down, the roots then chase that water," Mussatto said, noting that an hour a week is all a lawn needs to stay healthy.
Failing that, he suggested, people should let their cars get dirty and their lawns go dormant in the summer.
"We want to change that to having a golden lawn is a beautiful thing."
WHY CONSERVE?
According to Metro Vancouver, reducing the amount of water used to sprinkle lawns, clean pavement and wash cars ensures there is sufficient water throughout the dryer months. Other reasons:
• preparation for the effects of climate change, in which snow melts faster, summers are drier and most of the rain falls during heavy rain storms;
• saving money because using less water reduces the need to expand expensive drinking water infrastructure.
