Editor:
There’s a whole lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over water these days – mostly blaming “they.”
I would welcome more focus on what we, as users, can do to ease the problem of water shortage in the dry season. Of course metering makes sense. Is there any other commodity for which we pay a flat rate regardless of the amount consumed? Metering will prompt us to use less, waste less, and so save money. With appropriate concessions for farms, metering also makes possible a Step 1, Step 2 system, much as BC Hydro applies. In a two-month period, for consumption up to 1,350 kilowatt-hours, we are billed at 8.82 cents. Beyond that, the rate increases by 50 per cent. So, we switch off the lights.
Also, isn’t it time to require that all new homes built on the Sunshine Coast install storage capacity for collecting and filtering water that falls on the roof in the rainy season? Whether the tank is above ground or below may depend upon the terrain. In either case, it can be incorporated into the landscape or building design. This is not a new idea. In many communities around the world, it has been common practice for centuries to save and store water – even drinking water – for use in times of need.
Such measures will not entirely fix the problem. But, along with upstream improvements, they could be a significant part of the solution.
Bill Terry, Sechelt
