Delegation: Call to turn off funding tap for water conservation & CVRD Challenged about 'water facts'

The subject is from the headlines of the newpaper coverage of my delegation to the Water Committee.   The point I was making was that CVRD staff used incorrect and misleading data to trick the WC and the CVRD board to spend lots of our money on unneeded water conservation activities.

Philip Round's (Comox Valley Echo) coverage is [here] and Scott Stanfield's (Comox Valley Record) is [here].  They saw the presentation from different perspectives.  Together they both did a good job.

I want the increase in bulk water rate for water meters, 12 cents per cubic metre, almost a million dollars, removed from the bulk rate.  That would reduce the water cost for Courtenay, Comox and the Electoral Areas.  They should then reduce their local rates or apply it to other local requirements.

The Bylaw not only lets the Regional District keep those funds but also proposed future rate increases to make up for the anticipated loss of their revenue by use using less water.

Update:  In spite of the delegation and the facts presented, the Water Committee supported the bylaw and it was approved by the Board on May 31, 2011.  The only director who opposed it was Larry Jangula.

Richard

We have met the water conservation goals: Why do we keep on paying

The PowerPoint presentation from my delegation to the Water Committee  on May 17, 2011 is [here].

I was trying to convince the Water Committee to not approve a bylaw that would lock in the funding that was targeted for Water Meters and then Water Conservation.  The main point was that they had been tricked into starting that funding by incorrect information provided by the RD.  I have shown, as have others, that we do not have, and never have had, a water problem:

• There is lots of it, too much at some times
• We have the infrastructure to store and deliver it
• We operate within our annual and maximum day licence limits and even are allowed to use more

The written documents that formed part of my presentation to the Water Committee on May 17, 2011 are [here].  They show

• The public and politicians were tricked by Regional District statements and intensive advertising to believe that we used far more water than the rest of BC and Canada.  Their goal was to get approval for Water Meter and Conservation projects.
• That our water use is not excessive, in fact we are more water efficient that the BC average.
• We are operating well within our water licence limits.  Since we are using even less water that in the early 2000's our infrastructure is more than adequate to meet our needs.
• Our water use per capita has reduced substantially over the decade
• We should stop wasting vast sums of money (hundreds of thousands of dollars) on advertising, water barrels etc., water enforcment to force us to use even less water.  
• It is pointless – we are not saving water – it just gets dumped into the ocean.

Comox Valley Water Committee Meeting Tue May 17 2:00

The agenda has been posted.  http://www.comoxvalleyrd.ca/section_rdb/agendas.asp?id=80&collection=6&AgendaType=2&MeetingDate=5/17/2011&MeetingType=35

The attachments for my presentation are there.  I will do a PowerPoint as well. 

Basically what I am saying is that our water use was never excessive when compared with others, and in fact has become very good.There was no need for water meters or water efficiency plans.  It was bad stats/research and propaganda that made it seem true.  However the truth will come out.

Richard