Creating our own water woes

An excellent Letter to the Editor by resident W. Lightfoot concerning "the water issues".

I wonder if we are being hoodwinked.  Canada and B.C. in particular have more fresh water than anywhere in the world.  Billions of gallons a minute get flushed into the ocean.  It seems that we have a collection and distribution problem in Vernon.

I have lived here for 22 years and always abided with restrictions that were not onerous while my in-laws in Kelowna have never had restrictions.

I wonder why, when their population in the same time has added the population of Vernon to its usage.

I might add they pay half the rates we do as well.

This seems to be confusing as they live in a drier part of the Okanagan.  It seems Vernon does not have enough water for its present propulation never mind forecasted increases.  No one seems to have addressed the problem, which appears simple.

We spent some $40 million to hook onto a "creek" while Kelowna saw a rather large lake to draw from.  Vernon is very good at conserving water as evidenced by the early 90's implementation of water meters which reduced consumption to the point where the city raised water rates because they didn't receive the dollars projected.

Does that not sound like water is a commodity?

I wonder if this colossal error in using a creek instead of the lake is just being brushed aside with the pretense that we are the Sahara desert and everyone should only shower weekly while our good neighbours in Kelowna use what they wish.

Nice rocky landscaping will increase household temperatures so that most will increase use of air conditioning, increasing carbon footprint, etc.

Pipelines carry oil all over North America, why not water to the Okanagan from Mica Dam or the Fraser River or...?

I also wonder if the present level of Okanagan Lake is more due to someone guessing wrong and letting out more at the south end to prevent floods than due to usage.  Kelowna treats water used and returns it to the lake.

I would also bet that the lake will come up two to three feet by the end of July.

My family has a cabin on a lake on Vancouver Island and it can drop/rise 15 feet in a year due to keeping water in the rivers below for fish and I assure you no one worries about the lakefront owners.

It appears that Vernon/Coldstream has created its own problem and the only solution they have even contemplated is "let them eat cake".

It is time the 'powers that be' addressed the long-term problem of water as there is no doubt that folks will be coming from all over Canada to live here and will not put up with onerous rationing.

Take it from Okanagan Lake now and make the problem regional which will quickly make it a provincial problem and hence solvable.

By W. Lightfoot, reprinted in its entirety.

"I love that man," beams Kia.