The City of Surrey is allowing residents to fill swimming pools and water newly planted lawns, directly defying Metro Vancouver's Stage 3 water restrictions that took effect June 8. The regional district, facing severe drought and a diminished snowpack, has demanded Surrey fall in line.
Surrey's Defiant Bylaw
In late May, Surrey city council passed a bylaw granting residents "greater flexibility" in water use, including permission to fill or top-up pools and water new lawns. This contradicts Metro Vancouver's Stage 3 restrictions, which ban such activities to conserve water during a drought.
David Matsubara, Surrey's director of utilities, defended the decision, stating, "The decision to move to Stage 2 water restrictions did not have a lot of notice. Surrey businesses and residents had to cope with that change, having planned probably the whole summer to work in normal water restrictions. They had to adapt, so Surrey took the opportunity to provide some flexibility within our bylaw to give our residents the opportunity to do home maintenance and some things that require water."
Metro Vancouver's Response
Last Friday, the Greater Vancouver water board held a special meeting to address Surrey's noncompliance. The board voted to send a letter to Mayor Brenda Locke and city council, "asking that they work with their staff to be in alignment with Metro Vancouver’s ongoing water restrictions and response."
Mayor Locke was not made available for an interview. Matsubara confirmed the city had not yet received the letter but expected it soon. The matter will go before Surrey council at its next meeting on Monday.
Water Usage Context
Surrey historically consumes less water per capita than other major municipalities. According to Metro's 2024 water consumption report, Surrey used 301 litres per person per day, well below Vancouver (379), Richmond (390), Burnaby (373), and North Vancouver (389). Matsubara noted that Metro data from last week showed Surrey's water usage remained in the middle of the pack among regional municipalities.
"With what we have in place, we know we’re achieving a pretty good performance, at least for the month of May," Matsubara said. "If we’re staying in the pack, we’re still doing well, we’re keeping our water use down, we don’t see the need to sort of ratchet-up things."
Regional Water Plan History
Metro Vancouver's four-stage drinking water conservation plan has been in place since the early 1990s. A Metro spokesperson explained the system was adopted "to support consistent implementation of restrictions across all member jurisdictions." Stage 3 restrictions, which typically start later in summer, were activated June 8 this year due to heightened drought concerns and a vanishing snowpack.
