Editor:
Dear Diary: So many questions, so few answers! I’m standing in my veggie patch filled with lettuce, kale, berries, tomatoes, beans and more, and their only current source of water is what we save from the kitchen sink and shower. It’s not enough!
Just down the road are two B&Bs, each allowing about 14 tourists to stay. That’s 28 showers a day, lots of water running to wash food and dishes, and nary a thought to reducing use or recycling. I could water my whole garden for a week with the excess water from just one of those houses.
But here’s the thing – our taxes just increased dramatically, and for the most part, only Band-Aid water solutions have been contemplated. Our politicians talk a lot and make few bold decisions that will increase our water supply adequately.
So the tourists come, use lots of water, then leave us with the potential of no water for a dry fall. Their communities have no such concern, as the elected officials figured out how to cope years ago. And don’t get me started on the hundreds of new homes that are anticipated for my neighbourhood in West Sechelt, guaranteed to deplete our water supply even earlier in the summer!
Our terrible water situation is pretty much guaranteed to continue for many more years unless we elect some folks with grit and determination. Sadly, by then, those of us who used to be partly self-sustaining will have watched our gardens turn to dust.
Gail Riddell, Sechelt
