Water, water, everywhere. By the end of the summer, the capital region’s reservoir will be 70 per cent full and the dam will once again overflow in the winter, spilling millions of litres of water. Despite this, the Capital Regional District still plans to implement the same old restrictions this month.
This is a tragic waste of water, and of potential revenue for the CRD. The solution is simply common sense.
By adding one more day to the schedule (even-numbered addresses water Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and odd numbers Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday), the CRD could generate enough revenue to devise a way to redirect the overflow to stop the waste and increase the water supply for the summer.
Not everyone would use the third day, but it should be an option for those who strive to keep our city green and are willing to pay for the extra usage. Residents have shown a willingness to adjust to any announcements made via the media if there is any reason to change back to the two-day-per-week restrictions.
Green Party Leader Andrew Weaver said it best when he stated that: “Victoria does not have a water-shortage problem, they have a water-storage problem.” This adjustment would increase revenue for the CRD, mitigate the tremendous waste of overflow during the winter, and possibly fund further studies on how best to collect and retain the overflow.
Ranjit Dillon
Saanich
