Managing Drought at UPI

July 18 2012

An open letter to the Ottawa-Carleton Ultimate Association (OCUA) members, neighbours of the Ultimate Park Inc (UPI) and residents of Greely regarding drought conditions at UPI

The severe dry weather conditions that have descended over Ottawa-Carleton are affecting water sources in the entire region, including UPI and its surroundings. As a result, the South Nation Conservation Authority (SNCA) has declared a Low Water Status Level 2 and asked residents of the area to make an effort to reduce our water consumption levels.

Environmental responsibility is one of our core values at OCUA and we are committed to complying with all requirements that regulatory authorities deem appropriate. At the same time, we must also balance other interests. In particular, we believe that we must maintain the safest possible playing surface for our members. And more recently, we've come to understand that significantly dry areas can pose a substantial fire hazard.

As members of OCUA and our community, we want to share with you, the actions that we are taking to manage the fields at UPI during this drought while maintaining the safety of our players and the community:

  • •       We have changed our field maintenance practices to reduce our water consumption by up to 50%
  • •       We are continuing to irrigate the fields with water from a man-made, land-locked pond built at UPI for the specific purpose of irrigating during drought conditions 
  • •       We are in constant communication with the company that maintains our fields to ensure that we are in compliance with all water regulations and to implement all best practices in field management
  • •       We have imposed a temporary smoke ban on our fields to reduce the risk of fire
  • •       We will continue to explore and consider all avenues available to us to meet the regulatory restrictions of the SNCA

One of the most fundamental ideas of the sport of Ultimate is the notion of the Spirit of the Game - the foundational principle that emphasizes respect and fair play while discouraging all forms of anti-social behaviour towards fellow players. This principle also guides our actions pertaining to the Ultimate community and the communities we interact with throughout the Ottawa-Carleton region. As such we will continue to work fairly and respectfully with communities and regulatory authorities to implement a balanced solution. And, like most people affected by this drought, we will hope for rain.

Kind regards,

Axel Garcia--Chair of the Board--chair@ocua.ca