Calgary outdoor water restriction stages — triggers and rules

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Outdoor restriction stage matrix

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Calgary’s outdoor water restrictions have four stages, each with a defined trigger and a distinct rule set. Stages 1–2 are targeted at outdoor watering; Stages 3–4 are emergency measures with broader prohibitions.

Stage	Trigger	Lawn / outdoor watering	Car washing	Pools / hot tubs
Stage 1	Lower river flows or infrastructure / high-demand pressure	Limited 2 hours/week on assigned day, 7pm–10am	Permitted Any day/time	Permitted Any day/time
Stage 2	Escalated water shortage	Limited 1 hour/week on assigned day, 7pm–10am	Permitted Any day/time	Permitted Any day/time
Stage 3	Severe water shortage	Not permitted No sprinklers; hand watering of gardens any time	Not permitted Not permitted	Not permitted Not permitted
Stage 4 Fines up to $3,000 per violation	Critical water shortage	Not permitted No watering except hand-watering food crops	Not permitted Not permitted	Not permitted Not permitted

The outdoor-watering stages (1–2) and the emergency stages (3–4) trigger on different conditions and carry different rule sets. Stage triggers and per-activity rules transcribed verbatim from the City’s outdoor water restrictions page · day-by-day stage events are on /water/restrictions.