VANCOUVER — For Metro Vancouver lawns, brown is the new green.
Metro Vancouver, the authority that governs the water supply for 21 cities and municipalities, has banned the use of sprinklers in an effort to conserve its dwindling reservoirs.
Starting Tuesday, Stage 3 water restrictions mean all forms of lawn watering for residents are restricted, although flower and vegetable gardens can still be watered by hose with a spring-loaded shut-off nozzle.
All of B.C.'s South Coast, Vancouver Island and the Lower Fraser Valley are experiencing Level 4 drought conditions, which are rated as extremely dry and have forced the conservation measures for the area's 2.4 million residents.
The tightened conditions also mean homeowners won't be able to refill their backyard pools and pressure washing is banned.
The dry conditions have prompted warnings about the dangers to returning salmon in shallow rivers and have spurred over 1,100 forest fires since early April.
