Editor:
Imagine if our SCRD water system was a house. Somebody started building it over 80 years ago – just a shack for a small family. In the 1960s, the SCRD formed and took over the build. It took about 10 years, but they improved the house and added wings (Chapman and Edwards Reservoirs).
The family kept growing slowly but everyone thought the house would last forever (aka we live in a rain forest) – until 2014. The rooms started shrinking (climate change). On top of it, in 2016 the government mandated that one whole wing is reserved for fish (Environmental Flow Needs). Suddenly, the house was too small for the family.
So far everyone has been paying the same amount no matter how much room they used, or if they had walled off a whole section so nobody could use it (water leaks). So we decided to police room space (water meters).
We also decided to add to the house. We asked experts to help figure out what the new wing should look like (reservoir, well, pipeline, etc.). In 2019, we chose the safest and cheapest option (Church Road well). We had to get permits (that took three years), borrow money, find someone to build it and now it’s almost ready.
At the same time, the money everyone has been paying until recently was largely to fix older parts of the building needing renovations.
We identified the next wing to add (Langdale well expansion) but it won’t be finished until 2024-5 (remember the three years to obtain a permit?). With those two wings, we should have enough room, but that won’t last forever. All options are on the table for what comes next.
We are in that unpleasant phase where we are paying to build the new wing, and to start policing our room usage, while we can’t move in and don’t have police in every room yet. Hang in there, family. We’ll get there. It’ll take more time and money, but things are indeed happening.
Andreas Tize, Roberts Creek
