Editor:
In 1991, when I first considered the Coast as a place to settle, it seemed that water was everywhere, falling from the sky, running down mountainsides, flowing over stream beds. Now I am a long-term resident of the neighbourhood where the Church Road wells are being developed and which will increase the supply available to Coasters by 50 per cent. I know firsthand the efforts it takes to access this water and to distribute it to the systems that supply Coast residents. It is the costliest project ever undertaken by the SCRD I’ve heard, and from a local standpoint, the most disruptive. But at least we HAVE water.
Most readers will have heard of the extensive, historic droughts south of the border, the shrinking of Lake Mead, the 15% cut that’s going to be required in five states if residents don’t voluntarily reduce demand. We can’t assume that it won’t happen here, and if it does, are there any more sources as rich as the Grantham’s aquifer?
With all the new developments on the Coast, it’s the perfect opportunity for local and regional governments to take meaningful action. Require developers to show that they not only recognize potential water shortages, but have ways to use grey water, for example, and collect and use rainwater.
When elections come round this fall, I intend to vote for candidates who acknowledge the problem and will enforce policies to prevent or at least delay any water shortages that will come as a result of climate change.
Mary Burns
Granthams Landing