Water conservation is a priority for the RMOW. Everyone in the Whistler community has a role to play in saving water through simple changes to the way water is used both indoors and outside. The RMOW has a number of ongoing conservation initiatives.
Once Through Water Usage
The Once Through Water Usage Bylaw was adopted by council October 16, 2018.
The key components of this Bylaw are that:
- Once Through Cooling (OTC) systems are not permitted for new construction;
- OTC systems must be disconnected within ten (10) years of the Bylaw adoption date;
- Reservoir style urinals must be disconnected within one (1) year of the Bylaw adoption date;
- Leaving water running over the winter months to prevent freezing is not permitted.
The stakeholder engagement process will be continued to investigate what other incentives might be available to accelerate removal of existing OTC systems.
Industrial Commercial Institutional (ICI) Volumetric Water Metering
In order to incentivize businesses to accelerate the removal of once through usage equipment, the implementation of a volumetric water meter billing program for the Industrial Commercial Institutional (ICI) is under consideration. The implementation of this program is being recommended as part of the 2019 budget.
