en.Wedoany.com Reported - Metro Vancouver's key water supply facility, the First Narrows Crossing, has resumed operations, and the region will downgrade water restrictions from Stage 3 to Stage 2 on July 16.

Mike Hurley, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, expressed gratitude to residents and businesses for reducing water use during the water supply system upgrade, noting that this phase of the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel Project has been completed. With forecasts predicting hot and dry weather and no snowpack to replenish reservoirs, water conservation remains critical to ensuring supply through the fall.

Under Stage 2 water restrictions, lawn watering remains prohibited, while sprinklers and soaker hoses are permitted for landscaping and trees. Commercial businesses may conduct high-pressure cleaning for aesthetic purposes, residents can fill pools and hot tubs, and washing vehicles and boats at home is allowed.

To support the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel construction and maintain system pressure, Metro Vancouver had previously implemented Stage 3 water restrictions, setting a regional water use target of under 1.4 billion liters per day. Despite near-limit water consumption during hot weather, peaking at 1.37 billion liters, the 1.4 billion liter cap was not exceeded.

The work involved temporarily deactivating the First Narrows Crossing last October to build a bypass pipeline. The First Narrows Crossing is one of the critical pipelines conveying water from the Capilano and Seymour reservoirs. With the bypass now complete and the main pipeline back in operation, construction of the Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel can proceed over the coming years.

The Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel Project will replace an existing water main built in the 1930s that has reached the end of its service life. Upon completion, the new tunnel and water main will meet current seismic standards, enhance the resilience of the regional water supply system, and increase capacity to meet future water demands driven by regional growth.

The Stanley Park Water Supply Tunnel Project ranks 11th in Water Canada's 2026 Top 50 Projects Report.