Water conservation initiatives will be considered as the City of New Westminster works on its 2014 to 2018 financial plan.
The city is interested in the potential of rainwater harvesting systems in New Westminster arenas and greenhouse as a means of conserving water. Staff will incorporate water conservation projects into future budget deliberations.
Coun. Chuck Puchmayr raised the issue last winter after touring the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Centre, which has a rainwater reclamation system that collects water and uses it to create the arena's ice. He told council the system cost $27,000 and is saving the city 800,000 litres of water per hockey season.
Coun. Betty McIntosh believes the time to move in this direction would be when a second ice slab is added at Queen's Park Arena.
"When Abbotsford built a brand new facility, it was part of the plan," she said. "When you go to retrofit an existing building, the costs are so much more."
