The Mixed Messages of Bureaucracy

It either is, or it isn't.

Sensational headline aside, the Morning Star on August 21st emblazoned above its banner "WATER LIMITS...Vernon considering stage two..."

Yet the article that deals with it has Dale McTaggart of GVW stating "water consumption has been reduced marginally, but reduced."

His report on July 27th to the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee stated "We're actually getting back into the blue, which means back into normal, but we do not plan to change the restriction (remove Stage 1)."

Apparently Stage 2 might be required to safeguard the water supply.

The article continues:
"Upland snowpack levels are below average..."
Huh? 
Yeah, it's the third week of August, folks.
Skiing closed a while ago...

McTaggart's July 27th report was followed, 18 days later, by the "August 15 'estimated' reservoir water level graph.

In 18 days, they couldn't have gone up there to get an actual reading?
18 days later it's still "estimated"?

?

Soooooo, if "we're actually getting back into the blue, which means back into normal", and the prospect of farm irrigation water being turned off a week earlier than normal, why is there a threat of Stage 2?  In fact, what do we need a Stage 1 restriction for?  And why was the above trigger level chart still "estimated" 18 days after issuing McTaggart's report?  Why aren't actual levels reflected?

McTaggart's comment "if we don't get a heavy snowfall this winter, we could be in real trouble next year...we just don't know what lies ahead".  


Yeah, we water customers also don't know what lies ahead.

"Oh yes we do," offers Kia, "price increase upon price increase courtesy of Greater Vernon Water."

Heavy rain streamers descend, time and again in August, on the Aberdeen Plateau.

We've been watching the Aberdeen plateau and are, frankly, surprised graphs of actual water levels haven't been released.

We'll close with a succinct "Overheard" comment:


(Is) anyone else confused by the info coming out of RDNO? On KISS FM we are all praised for reducing use by 26% this year, now it seems we are being shamed for only "marginally" cutting back and that we may have to go to stage 2 to safeguard the supply ( that now stands at normal for this time of year ) . We need an above average snowfall season to fill the lakes? They filled and spilled for two months this spring on a well below normal snowpack.  Oh the politics of this whole thing make my head spin. They are certainly doing a good job of one thing, and that is scaring anyone off from using water, and it's only going to cost us even more next year because of this. (anonymous)

Amen to that, brother.