The region of Metro Vancouver is achieving its summertime water-saving goals, but it’s at risk of exceeding them during hot weather, says a water analyst.

The Metro Vancouver Regional District manages water for most municipalities in the Lower Mainland.

This year, due to a low snow pack, high temperatures and one of the region’s main water supply lines out of commission, it has set a goal that users collectively consume 1.4 billion litres of water per day or less.

This, it says, is in order to maintain water pressure for the region, which is necessary for emergency services like firefighting.

“We’ve done well, we’ve managed to keep the demand under the 1.4 billion, so we’re very grateful to everybody who’s following the restrictions and helping that happen,” said Linda Parkinson, director of policy planning and analysis for Metro Vancouver water services department.

But when temperatures soared around the June 20-21 weekend, water usage peaked and the region almost surpassed its consumption limit, Parkinson noted.

“One of the things that’s very obvious here is that hot weather really drives demand,” she warned.

Monday, June 22, was particularly hot, she added, and water consumption reached 1.37 billion litres.

“We were getting a little anxious and, you know, wanted to get the word out there to remind people to keep that use down because all of that use has been driven by predominantly by outdoor water use.”

The region is currently under Stage 3 water restrictions, first implemented June 8. The tightened rules came after the Stage 2 restrictions, rolled out on May 1, failed to decrease water consumption, Parkinson said.

“Unfortunately when we looked at the numbers, the region had used more water in May in 2026 in Stage 2 than we had in 2025 in Stage 1,” she said.

What Stage 3 means

Under Stage 3 restrictions, pools, hot tubs and fountains cannot be filled or topped up.

Washing vehicles — except spot-cleaning mirrors, windows and lights for safety purposes — is also prohibited.

Lawn watering was already banned in the region under existing Stage 2 restrictions.

People can water trees, shrubs and flowers at any time if they are hand watering or using drip irrigation, but sprinklers and soaker hoses will be prohibited, and hoses must have an automatic shut-off nozzle.

Stage 3 water restrictions also mean washing driveways and sidewalks is largely prohibited.

Commercial properties are also subject to similar restrictions, with Metro Vancouver saying each of its member jurisdictions would enforce the rules through local bylaws.

Regional cooperation still needed

Despite the success so far, it comes as one of the region’s largest water consumers, Surrey, is flouting Stage 3 restrictions.

The city is allowing for residential pools to be filled, for some automatic lawn sprinklers, and for landscaping and pressure washing businesses to use handheld devices.

Surrey’s decision was criticized by other municipalities and officials at a Metro Vancouver meeting in June, but the city defended itself, with representatives saying its water use dropped in “a lot of areas” during May and that it was monitoring its use day-to-day.

Parkinson, who previously said in June that the move creates confusion for consumers, called it a “concerning move.”

“The regional [water restriction] policy was designed for the entire region to move together through the stages … it’s been in place since 1993,” she said, adding that it appears to be the first time a city hasn’t followed the directive set out by the regional authority.