Metro Vancouver to ban car washing and lawn watering next week under Stage 3 rules

Metro Vancouver is imposing Stage 3 water restrictions next week after an early deployment of Stage 2 bans failed to curb high usage in the region.

The new bans come when much of southwestern British Columbia and the southern Interior face drought threats as warm weather melts away snowpack that would normally last into the summer.

The regional district said on Tuesday that tougher restrictions begin next Monday, prohibiting all lawn watering including the use of sprinklers and soaker hoses, as well as pool filling and vehicle washing with few exceptions.

Metro Vancouver chair Mike Hurley said in a statement that the restrictions are being put in place due to a combination of warm and dry weather and the construction of a water supply tunnel in Stanley Park.

“When the summer-like weather hits, water use can increase by more than 50 per cent, and in order to complete projects like Stanley Park that increase capacity and resilience, we need to work together and bring down our water use so the system is protected while work is underway,” Hurley said.

The lack of snowpack in the region makes the bad situation worse, with Metro Vancouver saying snow levels are “well below normal” at less than 15 per cent of historical averages.

Under Stage 3 restrictions, residents are allowed to only water trees, shrubs and inedible plants by hand using a water container, drip irrigation or hose with spring-loaded nozzles.

Vegetable gardens can also be watered, but no lawn watering of any kind or sprinkler use for trees and shrubs will be permitted.

Decorative water features such as fountains and pools also cannot be filled, and there’s no washing of vehicles other than spot cleaning of windows, lights and mirrors, although water-efficient commercial washes may continue to operate.

Public pools and spray parks will remain open, but personal pressure washers are prohibited from use, and commercial cleaners can only operate washing operations for safety or paint-prepping reasons.

“Reducing outdoor water use now will help protect the reliable delivery of high-quality drinking water for essential household, business, firefighting, and emergency needs,” the district said.

“Metro Vancouver will continue to monitor weather, reservoir levels, regional water demand, system performance, and progress on the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel work.”

The situation in Metro Vancouver mirrors that of several regions of B.C., with the province’s drought portal showing vast regions as “abnormally dry” even before summer begins.

Vancouver Island, southwestern B.C., the southern and central Interior, the North Coast and East Peace are all dry.

The situation is especially severe in the Nicola and Coldwater river basins, where provincial data shows a “moderate” level of water scarcity, while the Okanagan region is a five on the drought scale that goes from one to five.

David Campbell, head of B.C.’s River Forecast Centre, said precipitation in June — historically a fairly wet month — can help the situation, but the drought threat created by lower-than-usual snowpack will likely persist through the summer.

“We really need to see some pretty wet weather, and it’s unlikely to see that as we go into July and August,” Campbell said. “It’s just not a typical weather pattern. So, we’ve got quite a lot of ground to make up, particularly (in the) south Interior and areas (of the) southwest coast.”

Campbell added that the lack of water may have wide-ranging impacts for everything from fisheries and aquatic habitats to agriculture and wildfires, with a hotter-than-usual summer in the forecast adding to the concern this year.

“On an individual level, really look at that water usage, looking at ways to conserve within the house or potentially looking at tools that can support that water efficiency in terms of showers or dishwashers, those kind of things,” he said on what residents can do to not create further strain on the water supply.

Metro Vancouver began Stage 2 restrictions early this year on May 1, but the district said water use in the regional district last month was higher than the same period in 2025 when only a Stage 1 ban was in place.

The district said about 1.2 billion litres of water is being used daily, with a spike of up to 50 per cent expected as warm June weather arrives.

Metro Vancouver historically sees daily water usage exceed 1.4 billion litres in June, and the district said the tougher restrictions are meant to keep levels below that to protect supply through July.

“With reductions in outdoor water use, this is achievable,” the statement from Metro Vancouver said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2026.

Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press