Water Managed Sites are allowed to water at 70 per cent during Stage 3 restrictions and 75 per cent during Stage 2
A little-known City of Calgary program is allowing some property owners to continue reduced outdoor watering during ongoing restrictions — but only if they can prove they go above and beyond with their in-ground irrigation systems and pass a lengthy certification process.
Water Managed Sites (WMS) are certified properties that have in-ground irrigation systems with verified high water efficiency, according to the city’s website.
They must also have systems in place to measure the volume and use of water to prove they are doing so efficiently.
Approved sites can water amid Stage 1, 2 or 3 outdoor water restrictions at a reduced rate, the city confirmed.
The program has been in place since 2006 and is free to apply for certification. But while it’s open to all businesses or residences with an in-ground irrigation system, the city’s website suggests the program caters primarily to sports fields, parks, gardens or large green spaces.
To date, it’s mostly been subscribed to by city-owned properties.
But the Mahogany Homeowners’ Association (MHOA) bucked that trend by receiving its WMS certification on July 11. In a Facebook post, the MHOA stated it was the first non-city site to receive WMS status, which allows it to water the shore and park areas around the man-made lake amid the recent Stage 3 and current Stage 2 restrictions.
Sally Lockhart, the Mahogany HOA’s general manager, denied that becoming a WMS is akin to being exempt from watering restrictions.
“It’s compliance to be able to operate within those water restrictions, because of the efficiency of the irrigation system,” she told Postmedia. “We’re saving more water than a conventional irrigation system and thus, able to better manage water when irrigating our different areas within the park.”
What spurred the MHOA to apply for the program, Lockhart said, was a growing public concern (prior to Calgary’s current restrictions) about drought conditions.
The city said in its email to Postmedia that given recent drought conditions, as well as the need for outdoor water restrictions the past two summers, they are seeing a renewed interest in the WMS program and are “prepared to process applications as quickly as possible.”
While the city said it cannot reveal which properties are currently WMS-certified “for FOIP reasons,” the statement said three privately owned properties were recently approved, in addition to several city facilities.
Receiving WMS certification is an arduous, multi-step process that includes a comprehensive equipment verification and an audit conducted by a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor (CLIA).
A WMS must also submit an annual site performance report in order to be recertified the following year.
The criteria for irrigation equipment is extensive. According to the city, WMS properties must provide proof of a smart controller with remote operability and real-time weather data capabilities; rain or moisture sensors; a leak/flow sensor; an electronically controlled irrigation master valve; and a recently inspected and approved Cross Connection Control Device.
Multi-unit residential, industrial, commercial or institutional sites applying for WMS certification must have a billing meter, while single-family homes or duplex properties must have a volume totalizer.
If a property’s irrigation system fulfills all of these technical requirements, it must then pass the CLIA’s audit before receiving a WMS certification letter from the city.
A “Tier 1” WMS is allowed to water during Stage 2 restrictions, according to Calgary’s water utility bylaw, but must reduce its watering by 20 per cent. A “Tier 2” WMS must reduce its watering by 25 per cent amid Stage 2 restrictions.
“A certified WMS is granted the opportunity to continue watering, as required by the site conditions, during watering schedules or at reduced rates during drought restrictions,” the city stated in an email to Postmedia.
“A certified WMS indicates that the irrigation system can respond to weather and/or soil moisture conditions at that site and apply the appropriate amount of water to the landscape to keep it healthy while avoiding water wastage.”