A recommendation for the regional board to direct staff to bring a report with options to revise the Myrtle Pond bylaw, to either remove or reduce the minimum user rates, failed to gain traction at a recent qathet Regional District committee of the whole meeting.
At the meeting on Thursday, November 14, Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne brought forward a memo that suggested removal of the minimum user rates portion of the bylaw would provide incentive for reduced water consumption. Gisborne, in his memo, said he is hearing reports of wasteful behaviour from residents.
“Those who had been conscientious about their water consumption started changing their habits after having to pay for water they don’t use,” stated Gisborne.
He added that users are charged each month for a minimum amount of water: 20 cubic metres from October to March and 30 cubic metres from April to September.
“A number of residents, I’ve heard, have tried really hard to keep their water consumption down and conserve water, but at the end of the month say, ‘no, I’ve only used 50 per cent of what I’ve paid for,’” Gisborne said at the meeting. “They say they are not going to conserve water; they are going to use it right up to that meter point. In the summertime they are given even more water.
“I’m really trying to change how the public thinks about the consumption of water. They shouldn’t just be using it because they have it. They should actually be conserving the water to protect our asset and infrastructure.”
Gisborne said his idea was to eliminate the minimum charge or reduce it. He said he wanted to stimulate discussion on how to get people to be mindful of the water they are using.
City director CaroleAnn Leishman said she was uncomfortable with getting involved in the user rates without staff involvement.
“It sounds at this point that perhaps we could direct staff to do some engagement with the users on responsible use of their water and to pay better attention to it,” said Leishman.
City director George Doubt said the water system is going to have to collect the water one way or another.
“People are going to have to pay for the water,” he said. “They are still going to have to pay the cost of running the water system.”
Doubt asked if every water user was metered.
Regional district manager of operational services Patrick Deveraux said everyone on the system is on water meters and an operator goes around the first of every month and measures everyone’s water.
Electoral Area C director Clay Brander said he had concerns about asking for staff reports and doesn’t think it is necessary. Area A director Patrick Brabazon agreed with Brander.
Gisborne said the problem he had with the circumstances at the Myrtle Pond water system is that users who are conserving water are subsidizing users who are being wasteful.
He added that he has heard from residents that they are no longer going to be conserving water because they never come close to the value for which they are paying.
“They are just going to be wasteful and that to me is a problem, especially when we are concerned about the long-term sustainability of that aquifer,” said Gisborne. “I’m trying to be proactive, to say ‘look, let’s try to conserve water before we have to say another well is having problems because we’ve overdrawn.’”
He added that he’d like to see something come back from staff with how a financial incentive can be provided so people can conserve the water they are using.
However, when it came time to vote on Gisborne’s recommendation to have staff create a report with revisions to the Myrtle Pond rates and regulation bylaw to either remove or reduce the minimum user rates, the motion failed.
