New Watering Regulations in Vaudreuil-Dorion: What You Need to Know
Effective January 2026, the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion has implemented significant updates to its municipal water usage bylaws. To help you stay compliant and maintain your landscape, we’ve outlined the key changes and your available options below..
The New Rule: No Lawn Watering
It is now illegal to water grass lawns using municipal water. However, the city still permits the watering of:
- Flower beds
- Vegetable gardens
- Shrubs and ornamental plants
For a deeper dive into the specific language of the law, you can find a link to the full document in our Municipal Regulations section under Vaudreuil.
What are your options?
Most existing irrigation systems were designed before these restrictions. Depending on your current setup, you have three main paths forward:
- Optimize Your Existing System
- If your system already separates lawn zones from garden zones, this is a simple fix. We can help you reprogram your controller to ensure the grass zones remain inactive while your gardens stay hydrated.
- Modify Your System for Compliance
- If your system currently waters grass and gardens on the same zone, you have two choices:
- Selective Deactivation: Turn off zones that primarily target grass. Note that if a zone hits both grass and gardens, its compliance status may be at risk.
- Re-piping & Modification: We can modify your system to isolate garden beds, allowing you to water your plants without getting a drop on the lawn.
- Important Note: To evaluate or perform any modifications, the system must have water in it(started up). Regardless of whether you modify the system or leave it off, seasonal winterization is still required to protect your underground infrastructure from freeze damage.
- If your system currently waters grass and gardens on the same zone, you have two choices:
- Decommissioning (Dormancy)
- If you prefer not to water at all, your system can remain dormant.
- Minimal Degradation: If the system was properly winterized and contains no water, it can stay underground with very little wear and tear.
- Future-Proof: If regulations change in the future, your system can be reactivated and returned to service.
- If you prefer not to water at all, your system can remain dormant.
Not sure which category your system falls into?
We are here to help. You can reach out to us via phone, or send us an email, and we will help you determine the best path forward.