The Shirley water company has taken a $5 water system that worked perfectly well, and has spent “rumour has it” $20,000 plus dollars to upgrade it. It now has a pretty sign, a pretty fence, a very pretty gate, a pretty driveway and probably many other wonderful and new gee gaws that are not visible to the naked eye.
However, the water that comes out is perfectly the same. It is the same brown colour in the winter rain and occasionally has the same smell of chlorine. It doesn’t taste like $200,000 plus water at all. It tastes more like the $5 water system water it started out as.
I suspect that the Shirley water company is operating under the control of a committee, with the philosophy — “we’re got last year’s model: we’d rather have this year’s model” — and so they spend money; of should I say, “leak” money. A real company under the control of a savvy business-type would operate using a philosophy more like — “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and conserve money.
I would suggest to the Shirley water company, that there is nothing wrong with the piping they have — it should last 100 years, just the way it is. It doesn’t need a million dollar upgrade, even though “the committee” is just itching to get that bright and shiny new model.
I understand that Shirley exists in a sort of “warped” reality; nevertheless, there must be come common sense scattered in there somewhere to, hopefully, prevail.
I would also suggest that there are technologies available to pipelines that can generally detect and locate leaks from inside the piping. There may even be systems that repair the pipe from inside, although it would be an easy matter to just dig up and repair a leaking section from outside once located.
You don’t need to pay me for that suggestion, Shirley, I’m letting you have it, for free.
N.E. MacNab
Shirley
