🚀 go-pugleaf

Summary:

Help is needed in mounting opposition to a high cost, engineering
solution to predicted water needs.  How to convince authorities
that conservation measures are feasible?

Details:

I live in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.  We get a fair bit of rain
here in the winter months, but have a very dry summer.  Somehow, the
city has developed a reputation for its lush gardens, which were
modeled after those in rainy England, where many inhabitants can trace
their roots to.  These gardens, and large lawns, are maintained by large
amounts of irrigation - so much so that Victoria has the largest per
capita water consumption (570 l/c/d) in Canada, a country where an
infinite supply of good clean water is generally taken for granted.
There are many many additional examples of squandrous us of water,
especially by institutions.

The water comes from a nearby reservoir which fills during the rainy
season, and is drained over the summer.

Unprecedented growth over the last number of years has convinced the
water authority's management that action must be taken to make water
available for future growth.  A study concluded that the expenditure
of Cdn$384 million over the next several decades would allow the
population to double from its current 300,000.  This includes raising
dams, diverting water from additional watersheds, adding a high-cost
water treatment plant (water so far is pure enough to need nothing
more than some chlorination), and upgrading the delivery system.
Virtually no consideration is being given to conservation measures.

Many individuals and environmental groups have severe concerns about
the actions taken and planned, including:

- the study was done by a consortia of engineers, including dam, tunnel
  and water treatment specialists. One engineer was given the task of
  assessing Demand Management options.  We maintain the outcome of this
  study was predetermined at the time the contract was awarded.

- the entire process is being driven from within the water authority.
  Some of us are suspicious that this is a conflict of interest: a
  commissioner of a large organization has greater status than a more
  reasonable one.

- funding as proposed: borrow as needed, then payback from construction
  surcharges.  We feel this would lead to a self fulfilling prophesy -
  development would be necessary in order to service the debt - thereby
  severely curtailing future residents' options in growth management.
  It also circumvents the likelihood of some sort of taxpayers' revolt,
  since current rates and taxes are not predicted to rise.

- the water authority is conditioning the public to accept the plan, by
  pointing to the WASTED water which currently spills over the dams in
  the late winter and spring, and by warning of severe supply problems
  should the reservoir run dry in the late summer.

- very little is being done now in educating the consumer to conserve;
  and not much more is planned for the future.  This of course is our
  main concern; we feel it should be possible to reduce consumption to
  the point where a major capital upgrade to the water supply system
  could be postponed to a day when we have a better grasp of what a
  sensible population base for the area might be (carrying capacity?).

- the issues are very complex, probably past the point of being able to
  develop into a significant election issue.  Besides, most people
  don't want to curtail their squandrous use of water!  Thus we need
  to put pressure directly on the decision makers - something we have
  been quit unsuccessful at so for.

So, we are looking for ammunition:  any information or suggestions
on how to mount a campaign against the massive expenditure and for the
implementation of conservation measures.  We would welcome references,
case studies, etc., in particular, examples of conservation successes
in communities of comparable size to Victoria.  We already have much
of what has been published by the Rocky Mountain Institute, and
examples of Goleta and other California towns. and Ashland, Oregon, but
we need more.  What are the best strategies to influence the decision
makers and in raising public awareness?

I hope this has not been too disjointed a presentation. I thank you for
your attention and will appreciate any input.
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| Harald Wolf     ay320@FreeNet.Carleton.CA      (that's .CA  |
| (604) 479-9489  ux363@FreeNet.Victoria.BC.CA   for Canada!) |
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