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

BURNABY — 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 regional district says the tougher bans will 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 says in a statement that the restrictions are being put in place due to a combination of warm and dry weather, low snowpack levels and the construction of a water supply tunnel in Stanley Park.

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

The district says 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 says the tougher restrictions are hoped to keep levels below that to protect supply through July.

The lack of snowpack in the region is further exacerbating the situation, with Metro Vancouver saying levels are “well below normal” at less than 15 per cent of historical average levels.

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

The Canadian Press