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Latest updates
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City’s Outside Water Use Program moves back to Level 1 Yellow
September 12, 2025 -
City’s Outside Water Use Program moves to Level 2 Red
August 13, 2025 -
City’s Outside Water Use Program moves to Level 1 Yellow
July 3, 2025
Current level
The current level is blue – careful use
Outside water restrictions
Level 0 blue
Lawn watering
Permitted from 7 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. If your street address is an even number, you can water on even-numbered calendar days. Odd street numbers can water on odd calendar days.
Car washing
Permitted at home with shut-off nozzle
Watering ornamental gardens
Permitted any time
Watering vegetable gardens, trees and shrubs
Permitted any time
Education and enforcement
Bylaw officers will educate community members about water use restrictions and issue fines for repeat violations at their discretion.
Fines for Level 0 are typically between $150-$250.
Water supply
No serious storage, rainfall or stream flow issues
Level 1 yellow
Lawn watering
Permitted from 7 to 9 a.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. If your street address is an even number, you can water on even-numbered calendar days. Odd street numbers can water on odd calendar days.
Car washing
Permitted at home with shut-off nozzle
Watering ornamental gardens
Permitted any time
Watering vegetable gardens, trees and shrubs
Permitted any time
Enforcement
Bylaw officers will strictly enforce water use restrictions and issue fines for each violation.
Fines for Level 1 are typically between $150-$350.
Water supply
Less rain, low flow rates or low water storage levels:
- Less than 80 per cent of historical average precipitation over one and/or three months, or two weeks without rain
- Eramosa River flow (less than 70 per cent of minimum low flow)
- Water storage level (less than 75 per cent of average)
Level 2 red
Lawn watering
Not permitted
Car washing
Not permitted
Watering ornamental gardens
Permitted 7-9 a.m./p.m. odd/even dates by address
Watering vegetable gardens, trees and shrubs
Permitted any time
Enforcement
Bylaw officers will strictly enforce water use restrictions and issue fines for each violation.
Fines for Level 2 are typically between $150-$550.
Water supply
Serious rainfall, stream flow or storage concerns:
- Less than 60 per cent of historical average precipitation over one and/or three months, or three weeks without rain
- Eramosa River flow (less than 50 per cent of minimum low flow)
- Water storage level (less than 65 per cent of average)
Water condition reports
- Water Services weekly conditions report – October 16, 2025
- Grand River Conservation Association (GRCA) Watershed
Please don’t waste water
Using less water helps ensure we have adequate supplies during climate change events like extreme hot weather and drought. We also want to make sure there’s enough water for our community now, and as it grows.
Use a commercial car wash – help keep soap and chemicals out of our rivers and use less water.
For automated irrigation/sprinkler systems, use a smart controller, a rain sensor or soil moisture sensor to avoid overwatering and runoff.
In addition to the fines listed above you could be fined for:
- Using a hose without a shut-off nozzle
- Using a hose to wash your driveway
- Running sprinklers or irrigation systems in the rain
- Letting sprinklers run onto driveways, sidewalks, or roads
- Overwatering lawns or gardens so the water pools or runs onto hard surfaces
- Operating a fountain or pond without recirculating the water
When you use less water, the City uses less energy to deliver water to our community and process it after it goes down the drain. Using less water also means we can delay having to find and bring on new water sources which has costs related to building new wells, treatment facilities and underground pipes.
About Guelph’s outside water use program and bylaw
Guelph takes water conservation seriously. Guelph is the largest community in Canada that relies almost completely on groundwater for our water supply. Compared to other cities near rivers or lakes, Guelph’s water supply takes much longer to replenish, and it’s a lot more vulnerable to overuse.
Thanks to you, Guelph is a national leader when it comes to water conservation, and the outside water use program is one of the most successful and recognized water conservation programs in Ontario.
Guelph’s Outside Water Use Bylaw
For more information
Guelph Outside Water Use Program
519-822-1260 extension 2153
[email protected]