Dear editor,

I would like to see the citizens of the Comox Valley take up the challenge put forward by Courtenay councillor Don McRae to reduce our individual water use to the 500-litre/person/day (1/p/d) level at which he claims the issue of installing water meters could be put to bed for good.

Coun. McRae said at the same coxmcil meeting that we were among the highest water users in the world, but I think he was using old information in making that claim. I found a report on the regional district website on the subject of Water Consumption Impacts on Bulk Water Rates and Budgeting, and analyzed the latest consumption figures presented in that report.

From a high of 653 1/p/d in 2006 (a level which was reached for three out of the four years from 2002 to 2006), we saw a reduction of 13 per cent to 552 1/p/d in 2007 and that rate was maintained again in 2008.

It was in 2007 that the controversy over Water meters started to hit the press, and I think it shows that the public is now engaged in reducing individual water consumption. Both Courtenay at 558 and Comox at 542 1/p/d in 2008 have followed suit with the bulk water reduc

tions.

You might ask why the politicians and municipal/regional staff have not been more proactive in telling this good news story.

The report cited above gives a clue. It notes that the estimated consumption for 2008 was 8,945,000 m3, but actual consumption was 8,145,190 m3; This was roughly 799,81-0 m3 short, and resulted in a $400,000 shortfall in expected revenue.

This shortfall has to be covered in the bulk water rates and resulted in a two-per-cent increase in 2009 bulk water rates to make up for that shortfall. Ironically, you can expect to pay more per unit of water as you reduce your consumption.

The rest of the increase is to put almost $3 million in the bank for water metering by 2010 and $7 million in the bankfor a regional water supply by 2013, without asking taxpayers.

Overall, since 1995 the water consumption has gone up by approximately 1.2 per cent while the population has grown at a rate of approximately two per cent. This shows that we have been reducing our per-person consumption all along. With Cour»

plan, I think we can easily reach the 500 consumption rate cited by Coun. McRae and avoid mandatory metering.

This should not rule out voluntary metering for people like Bernie Guyader Who, in his letter to the editor, insists on having a water meter installed. 3 Why do our politicians always?

opt for the most draconian

cive policies when it comes ta these issues? é 1

If they were to bulk-buy water meters and allow homeowners to install them at their own expense, these people could apply for a reduction in their water rates annually based on their own metered consumption. Over time, the individuals could recoup their installation costs.

If this proved beneficial to the individual homeowner, metering would be accomplished without a large outlay of public money. The méter installation would be paced so local contractors would get all the work. A

It would lead to an increase in the water rates to non-metered consumers, since the shortfall in revenues would have to be made up. This would act as encouragement for more homeowners to voluntarily install their own