Editor:
The SCRD’s plan to purchase and install water meters is a non-productive approach to the shortages we experienced for the last two summers, starting with the costs involved in purchasing and installing said meters. As taxpayers, we need to be informed what those costs would be before the district ploughs ahead. A more proactive approach would be to give citizens the option of purchasing and installing such meters, or purchasing from the SCRD (at wholesale cost) and installing water catchment equipment – storage tanks and the fittings necessary to collect and deliver the rainwater from our roofs to our gardens, veggie or otherwise.
The district did a similar project some years ago, offering constituents low-flush toilets, installed, at the ridiculously low price of $100/unit.*
Even if the price of water storage equipment turned out to be twice that of installed meters, I’d be willing to bet that at least 50 per cent of the Coast’s environmentally concerned citizens would go for the storage and delivery equipment over meters. The only purpose meters serve is to track and bill water consumption, making no guarantees that the metered water wouldn’t be used to water lawns or wash cars, driveways, etc.
Citizens need a voice in such a crucial matter as our water supply before the district goes ahead with this plan.
Anna Banana, Roberts Creek
*Turns out the bottom of the toilet bowls is not glazed, so they take on, and do not give up, a dark unsightly stain at the bottom of the unit … no matter how much scrubbing or even bleach (detrimental to septic tank processes) that one does.
