Editor:
What the heck is going on here? I have rarely seen such a lopsided system: it typically tars all the concerned, aware, and thrifty water users with the same brush as the unaware (willfully), unconcerned, and wasteful users. After decades of mismanagement on a grand scale the regional district has quadrupled the water bill in 10 years. You would assume they would know what average use is, you would also assume that this flat rate applies somehow. Now they want to meter us and collect their exorbitant rates, this is excessive. This system makes all of the sensible users pay for the abusers, who obviously don’t care about paying these thousands of dollars, as long as they can wash their cars, and water their grass. How about a fair and equitable system, based on user pay with incentives for conservation, and collection. With all the pensioners who live and own here, this is basically wealth transfer, because if you are on a lower fixed income, this is important. Without creative, forward thinking management, this will all be wasted. Take the Edwards Lake siphon for instance – it was turned down around 2000, since then the cost ballooned nearly four-fold. I’m worried that they haven’t put all their cards on the table yet. My guess is it’s because all the meters are not installed, once they are it will be “game on.”
A great number of us are not endless fountains of money to feed on. If there is still such a big water problem, stop issuing permits until you solve it!
Outraged,
Brendan Swan, Tillicum Bay
