I have lived in the Sea to Sky Corridor since 1985 and I have never seen a drier year. There was little snow last winter and virtually no rain this summer. Watering and fire restrictions are in effect for good reason. My small lawn has been like straw since May, but the upside is that I don’t have to mow it. If this continues, a serious conversation will brew about the value of water.
I am a homeowner and my water and sewer bill is not trivial, as I have a suite and that adds another 80 per cent, but I understand that it reflects the cost of infrastructure to deliver water safely and dispose of it when it is used. My question is: Are the corporations that pump water from local aquifers into tanker trucks subject to the same watering restrictions that I am?
Trying to limit water use by foreign corporations will wind you up in court because of the treaties signed by the current and past governments, so they pump all week long while households get one day a week to keep their cedar hedges from becoming a fire hazard.
In return, corporations profit by providing bottled water where you are not allowed to bring your own for security reasons. I will challenge anyone to bring me a 750 ml bottle of water that costs less than the current price of gasoline.
Hopefully next winter, we will be navel deep in powder, and by August, we will be complaining about the lack of sunlight and inappropriate places moss has grown. If not, I foresee hedge fires desperately trying to be extinguished with bottled water, at a cost.
I am thirsty for a change.
Rob Neaga
Squamish
