Bylaws may be changing, but the City of Weyburn still hopes you conserve water this summer.

City council passed two bylaws on Monday night in regards to public waterworks.

The first bylaw involved repealing the Water Conservation Bylaw passed by city council last summer.

The previous city council put into place these water conservation rules as the City of Weyburn was facing a shortage of water supply in its Nickle Lake reservoir in 2016.

Spring runoff has been good this year, which was a factor into this council repealing the 2016 conservation act.

The decision on Monday was unanimous, and Councillor Mel Van Betuw said he's confident residents will use common sense.

"I think we've heard from many residents that they are very conscious when they do water and that they are very conscious of their use of water," he said.

"... We don't want to be two or three years down the road - if we have a lack of moisture - we don't want to be in a situation where our reservoir is getting low and the more we can do now to conserve water will pay of dividends down the road."

The second bylaw passed on Monday night was an amendment to the Waterworks Bylaw, which saw the removal of the special summer water service rate.

Since 2007, Weyburn residents were billed at a lower cost for watering lawns and gardens during the summer months.

On Monday night, that was repealed in hopes that a higher cost for water will deter residents from wasting it.

"It's going to cost a little bit more to water in the summer time so it makes sense to make the best use of your money and not pour water down the drain so to speak," Van Betuw said.

Easy tips provided by city council on how to conserve water this summer include:

  • Avoid watering on hot or windy days
  • Repair leaky toilets, faucets and sprinkler systems
  • Do not wash hard surfaces such as driveways, patios, sidewalks or walkways
  • Be conscious of your water use