Water use changes with the seasons
With all the rainfall in Metro Vancouver, conserving water might not be top of mind, but conserving water matters more than you may think.
Metro Vancouverites use about 270 litres per person per day. When you factor in commercial uses (to run our businesses, institutions and public facilities, for example) the average use is about 450 litres per person per day.
The average amount of water we use daily in Metro Vancouver is 1 billion litres — enough to fill BC Place.
About 60% of our water use is outdoors, and in the summer months our daily water use can increase by 50% due to lawn watering and increased outdoor use. Take a look at the chart below to see where we use the most water indoors, and check out the Outdoor and Indoor Tips pages to see how you can conserve.
Outdoor tips Indoor tips
By keeping conservation in mind year-round, we can continue to meet demand in any season.
Managing water for future generations
As our population increases, using less water can defer the need to invest in costly infrastructure.
We must also prepare for changes to rainfall and snowpack due to climate change. In Metro Vancouver, warmer annual temperatures and longer dry spells, combined with reductions in snowpack and earlier spring melt, could put a strain on the existing water supply during times of the year when water is in greatest demand.
Our drinking water is a valuable resource, essential to our lives and our natural environment. We love water. We need it. And together, we can use it wisely to ensure we meet our needs and those of future generations.