Water Conservation

The regional water supply is operated by the Comox Valley Regional District.The City of Courtenay supports water conservation in its municipal operations wherever possible.

Maintenance work on all utility systems conserves water through leak repairs and replacement of old water meters. 

The Comox Valley Regional District offers water incentive rebates to residents. 

 

Water Conservation in City Parks

The City of Courtenay’s parks division manages the irrigation systems in parks. Significant steps have been taken over several years to reduce water consumption, while still maintaining safe turf for sporting events. Water conservation methods include:

  • Central irrigation control – the majority of our systems are controlled by a central system that is highly programmable
  • Central controller responds to rain events and a weather station, reducing consumption when it rains
  • Flow sensing technology – the controller lets our staff know when there may be a leak or damaged head
  • We always reduce consumption during water restrictions
  • Retrofitting spray head systems for more efficient drip systems

There are a few factors that the city can't control. These include:

  • Vandalism to sprinkler heads and pipes. This sometimes causes sprinkler heads to spray over hard surfaces. City staff repair these as they are discovered, or when notified by the public.
  • Older, less efficient systems. The city would like to rebuild some of these systems, but the expenditure will need to be phased over time
  • The premier fields are sand based. These are designed to shed winter rains for playability, and require water in the summer or the turf will die within days
  • The school district manages irrigation on school sites
  • Many boulevards are irrigated with private systems. These are often confused for municipal systems 

How you can help:

If you spot a problem with irrigation on our parks and boulevards, such as a damaged or misaligned sprinkler head, please let us know. Report issues with our online Service Request Form, call Public Works at 250-338-1525, or email publicworks@courtenay.ca

To report watering infractions on private property (business or residential), email waterconservation@courtenay.ca or call 250-334-4441.

Next steps: The city is aware that water shortages can be an issue, particularly during drier weather years. In those years, you can expect:

  • Some boulevards to turn brown
  • Some parks to turn brown. The city will try to keep enough irrigation on to keep young trees alive and sportsfields safe
  • The city is investigating options for lower flow heads in the water park
  • Continued retrofit of older systems to more efficient systems including drip, and expanding the central control system