Water issues - Response to comments.

I received the following comment on my article: “New water rates! - Supplementary.”

“Please note that the average consumption for the Greater Vernon Area is around 500 litres per person per day or about 45 cubic metres per quarter. That is for one person. So there will have to be a total change in consumption pattern for couples or families to use less water than 20 cubic metres per quarter.

Leon Gous “

I do appreciate the constructive comments of Mr Gous, who after all, is one of the “Founding Fathers” of the original Master Water Plan and one of the “Adoptive Fathers” of the much inferior present Master Water Plan. He possesses more relevant information than most people. I totally agree that the average individual water consumption on an annual basis could be about 500 liters or even more.

However, averages are derived from individual observations, some higher, some lower. Averages also include heavy summer use on gardens and lawns. Could individual customers survive on less than 20 m3 per quarter? My answer is an emphatic YES.

To prove my point I researched our water bills (2 people with frequent visitors from grown up children for Christmas and New Years and a birthday) going back 7 years. During those years our total water consumption for the first quarter was 240 m3 which averages 17 m3 per person per quarter. That should be convincing enough that it is possible for a person living alone in an apartment to use less than 20 m3 of water each quarter.

Considering this example I believe I was justified for my comments that was:

“You might be interested to note that if you were one of those using less than 20 cubic meters of water per quarter in 2009, your water price increase in 2010 will be greater than for those using 20 cubic meters or slightly more quarterly.

For example, if your quarterly water consumption was 15 cubic meter per quarter last year your total water bill was $164.88. The same amount of water this year would cost you $200.80 this year or 22% more.

If you really saved water and only used 10 cubic meters quarterly your increase over last year would be $52.52 or 35%. Is it not an eye opener?

This points out a failure of the system: up to 20 cubic meters per quarter there is no incentive to save water.”

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