Editor:
How “comprehensive” is a water plan that results in our gardens burning up? Besides losing local food and landscape beauty, everyone in B.C. now knows we have serious water problems here and our real estate values could plummet.
For years there’s been no action taken to expand the supply source of water, yet we keep handing out building permits that use water as if there’s no problem with reliable supply. With lack of snow packs and rainfall, unpredictable droughts could become the new norm. People, this is what climate change looks like and we have to plan for it. Not later but now.
In theory “universal metering” is a good idea, but in practice very costly and won’t necessarily reduce consumption. Apparently West Vancouver’s expensive metering didn’t reduce consumption there. Metering could just turn out to be a cash cow for the SCRD and not solve the core problem.
Yes, public education, mindful use, rain barrels and lugging buckets of grey water could definitely help, but a reliable source needs to keep pace with an expanding population demand. We need a referendum – either expand our water supply or implement a temporary moratorium on further development until this problem is resolved.
The SCRD says they can’t do anything because Chapman Lake is in a provincial park and the forest service won’t give permission to drop the siphon line any further. But there are other lakes nearby that could provide additional water, Edwards and Trout being two examples.
We are now suffering the results of previous planners’ inaction and lack of foresight. It’s time for an involved citizens oversight group to demand an updated, truly comprehensive regional water plan to ensure adequate source capacity, public education, sustainable development, and good management of this essential service going forward.
Fraser McArter and Teri McArter, West Sechelt
