It feels like we are living out the naive “In happier times” segment of a future story about California drought conditions coming for a visit, then rudely never leaving.
Wow! Look at the crispy L.A.-style lawns! Wow! Look at the 14-day forecast – nothing but sun icons and a single poofy cloud! So yes, I support stage 3 water restrictions.
My concern is this: Why are relative luxuries like power washing, washing driveways and washing cars considered as important as watering gardens?
If there is a strong concern we may get to stage 4 emergency-use-only restrictions this summer – and a Mission councillor tells me there is, and that stage 4 means not even food garden watering is allowed — then shouldn’t frivolous uses of water be ditched now?
Shouldn’t gardens, especially food gardens, be in a separate category, and the last thing on the list to go? Should developers in Mission and Abbotsford continue expanding our populations if our water supply is so insecure?
Should they keep expanding when current residents may have to watch the slow death of gardens lovingly planted and coaxed along for decades?
Margot Goulding
Mission
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Water use rises 27 per cent – in a situation where water usage is already rising like the temperature without rain in the forecast. Why would a sprinkler ban be good enough? But you allow power washing of driveways and sidewalk, and continue to wash your cars? Where are the priorities of conservation? Our children would make the best of a bad situation and conserve now. Isn’t that what we teach them?
Remove the pressure washing of driveways and sidewalks and washing cars. Lawn sprinkling is the best you can do? Families can go to the water park – the kids can play in the water without running the sprinkler at home on the lawn for hours (sort of a way to cheat at watering your lawn) right? Be water wise.
Mary Allen
Mission
