A Novel Idea

While discussing Stage 1 Water Restrictions with a customer today, a novel idea surfaced when he said "Make Greater Vernon Water accountable for spurious water restrictions."  To make the water utility accountable to taxpayers "because of GVW's oft-manipulated revenue situation", he suggested the following:

Stage 1 Water Restrictions--which requires a 10 per cent reduction in water consumption--naturally leads to a reduction in their revenue.  Make it illegal for the utility to increase base rates to make up the shortfall! was his suggestion.

GVW would then have to reduce their 2015 budget by the corresponding amount of the revenue shortfall.


Coldstream Councillor Gyula Kiss--in his summary of the dollar ramifications of the 10 per cent restriction (follow the link in the July 15th blog story entitled "2014 Water Consumption Coldstream"), indicated the dollars involved with only Coldstream consumption, based on last year.

Even the seat of government in B.C.--because of the Lower Mainland's switch to Stage 3 Water Restrictions--has asked everyone in B.C. to reduce water usage by 30 per cent!  Thirty per cent!  Parroting Victoria, the heavily-entrenched bureaucracy of the Okanagan Basin Water Board was quick to issue a press release on July 21st for the North Okanagan requesting the 30 per cent reduction in consumption.

"They think we're stupid," the customer continued.

"But we're onto them, and need to make 'em think twice," the customer snarled.

"The best ideas come from folks you didn't even think had an opinion previously," offers Kia.

Closing off with some weather photos of the Aberdeen plateau, which yesterday easily received more than the inch of rain we in the valley received.  Other photos of the Duteau water system lake levels--taken July 11th--are in the process of being reformatted for inclusion in a future blog article.

And today, around 2:30 pm:

The Aberdeen Plateau nearly always has far different weather than the populated areas of Coldstream and Vernon.

 
"That's why the Aberdeen plateau has always been an irrigation water source for the Coldstream and Vernon farming community.  And because its gravity fed system required no pumps," states Kia.

Thanks to our customer today for some levity...and brevity to the bureaucratic "solution".