Forewarned, Bureaucrats Don't Care

There's an adage that "forewarned is forearmed", meaning if you know of something before it happens, you can be prepared for it.
True enough.
And presumably make changes if undesired results might occur.


But GVW bureaucrats and engineers, and their engineering consultants either didn't believe it would happen...or they don't care.
Probably not in their job descriptions to care.

"We were completely blindsided when we received our first Vernon utility bill in the mail."

M.C.R. Krien

Ignoring cause and effect, bureaucrats are ALL about revenue.
The unparalleled gouging of residents by Greater Vernon Water officials surely wouldn't lead to residents abandoning Vernon.
Or would it?

A letter to the editor by M.C.R. Krien today explains what GVW officials didn't plan on--and certainly didn't want publicized if it did occur.

"...if the water usage isn't high enough they tack on an extra $72.30 per quarter for low consumption."

"When my wife and I first considered moving to Vernon, we thought we did our homework on property taxes and fees.  We moved here from another Okanagan location, had a more expensive home but our property taxes, including water, sewer, garbage, recycling (all these utility fees were included in our annual property tax bill), were still less than Vernon, nonetheless we decided we could live with the increase.

We were completely blindsided when we received our first Vernon utility bill in the mail.  These obscene utility rates have got to be Vernon's best kept secret.  Not a word mentioned by real estate agents or anyone else when we were enquiring about property tax rates and fees.  But since then, things have gone from bad to worse.

We received this quarter's water and sewer bill for a whopping $440.  We live on small lot in a gated community where all of the irrigation systems come on for the same amount of time each week.  We have dual-flush, water-saver toilets.  There are only two of us and we are away a great deal of the time.

We don't just let water run down the drain when we are washing fruit and vegetables, but instead run it into a bucket in the sink and then either use the wter to water shrubs and bushes or flush the toilet.  We only take short showers, don't have a hot tub and, as well, shut our irrigation off on rainy days and have a water-saver washing machine.

Furthermore we take our vehicles to the car wash instead of washing them at home.

I compared our utility bill with our neighbours to find that our bill was $200 higher and they often have their grandchildren staying with them.  And they thought their bill was high.  We did notice that our bill contained an extra charge for $72.30 for residential sewer low flat rate, which did not show on any of our neighbours' bills.

We went to city hall to enquire why our rates would be so high and for an explanation for the extra $72.30 charge.  It was explained to us that when they determine the sewer rates in the first quarter, if the water usage isn't high enough they tack on an extra $72.30 per quarter for low consumption.

Yes, that is for low consumption.

So while our neighbours are only paying $50.20 per quarter for base sewer rates, we are paying the $50.20 base rate plus an additional $72.30 for low consumption.  In addition, our bill comparison shows that somehow my wife and I managed to use 65 cubic metres more water than our neighbours.

City hall gave us some tablets for our toilets to test for leaks -- there are no leaks.  They suggested we not run any water and check our water meter to see if the little red tab is still rotating.  It isn't.

Now they are asking Vernon area residents to aprove a $70 million water upgrade, which by the way is only the beginning.

We will be saying so long Vernon.  We are not about to stay living here just to be gouged.  And really, who in their right mind would move to Vernon with the rates already so high and only to get worse?

I suppose the uniformed(sic) like us.  We now know of several younger retirees with higher than average incomes and high percentages of disposal incomes, which should be an asset to any community, who have already left or are planning to leave.  I expect we will be joining the exodus."

M.C.R. Krien

"Call for resignations at GVW," suggest Kia, "start anew, bring in Al Horning from the Black Mountain Water District as an advisor."

And not with another $650,000 study.
And tell Interior Health to be quiet unless they bring money to the table...lots of money, from both Victoria and Ottawa.

Sorry to lose you, Mr. and Mrs. Krien.
But a sincere thanks for taking the time to write the letter.

A good start would be to read this "Water Plan History Detailed, dated February 7, 2014" from Coldstream Councillor Kiss.

Invisible Reporter?

Richard Rolke, reporter with the Morning Star, wasn't even there.

Coldstream Councillor Kiss stated that NO media were present at the Thursday, June 13, 2013 Water meeting at the Regional District.
No newspaper, no radio.
Nada.

So where'd this Morning Star story come from three days later?
Or, perhaps more to the point, who wrote it? 

Richard Rolke
"Greater Vernon residents will have a say on multi-million-dollar upgrades.

A petition process or referendum could be held in the spring or in November 2014 to determine if there is public support to borrow funds for the $111 million master water plan.

"It's important for the politicians to allow the public to weigh in on this," said director Jim Garlick.

The initial borrowing could be for $68 million and Garlick says there would be an awareness campaign leading up to any vote.

"The public needs an opportunity to understand the plan and the Interior Health Authority requirements."

A negative vote, though, may not mean borrowing or the project have stalled.

"If it's not supported, there is the opportunity for IHA to step in and order it to be done.  They could order us to borrow without (public) consent," said Garlick.

Option 2 provides for filtration to be provided at the Duteau Creek treatment plant for $26.5 million and at the Mission Hill plant for $30 million. 

There is also raising the height of the Aberdeen damn, an Okanagan Lake pump station, distribution improvements and separating irrigation water in Lavington from domestic use.

The scope of the plan covers until about 2037.

"The master water plan is being brought on us because of IHA requirements to have more safety built into the system," said director Bob Spiers.

"Water rates will definitely be impacted.  You will see a doubling of rates in eight to 10 years as they are calculated now."

The plan does include pursuing senior government grants to try and offset the cost.

"I hope the province and the feds will come in with their one-third, one-third (funding) as they have in other places, said Spiers.

The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has recommended the master water plan (26 pages of VERY interesting reading) to the Regional District of North Okanagan board, which will consider approval June 26.  The document must also be ratified by the Interior Health Authority."

"Maybe it's ESP reporting," offers Kia. 

Whoever wrote the story, the fact remains that $111 million is going to be borrowed and spent on the water system upgrades.  Residents will have a say, but those results mean nothing, as the Interior Health Authority is demanding filtration of domestic water.  And since the recently constructed Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant (it's so new, they're still calling it NEW) today serves domestic and irrigation customers--without separated (twinned) lines--filtration will occur there as well as the Mission Hill Water Treatment plant.  

Other options were considered by the same consultants (who recommended building the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant), and the directors (politicians).

Several options would've resulted in water consultants and politicians being ridden out of town on a rail -- right after being tarred and feathered. 
You can add the Interior Health Authority to that rail trip, as they bring no money to the table regardless of which option is followed.

Why?  Because it would be proof that the Duteau Creek Water Treatment plant should never have been built.  Raw water should serve irrigation customers in Lavington.  Chlorinated and filtered water should serve domestic customers, the majority of whom live West of Coldstream/Lavington.

That would leave the Mission Hill Water treatment plant for domestic filtration, with the bulk of twinned lines occurring off the single-piped lines at West Coldstream.  The relatively (in volume comparison to irrigation usage) small number of domestic customers in Lavington?  Probably cheaper to buy 'em all a reverse osmosis unit!  Maybe a combination of filtration and sand filters? 

Whatever happens, three things are certain:

• Residents will pay, pay, pay, pay.  And pay!

So what're the second and third things?

• We miss Brian Harvey, former manager of the Vernon Irrigation District more than ever!  His common sense and logic would've prevented (indeed, eliminated) all the wasted money so far.

• We'll wish Al Horning of the Black Mountain Irrigation District in Kelowna had resided in Vernon.  He was instrumental in many aspects of their state-of-the-art system.  He not only got grants from government, he and his group enlarged their water source and kept rates half what ours are today.  Today their water system even produces electricity for the hydro grid!  

No such luck here.

"No such people here," muses Kia, "but we do have invisible reporters."