Dear Editor:
I would like to express my concerns about the new proposed costs for water usage for our .20 acre lot.
The recent District of Summerland statement had our mid-April to mid-May costs at $40.29. For the following monthly billing period, the cost shot way up to $126.46. This huge increase must reflect the start of the irrigation season which will span six months of the year.
I do not feel that these rates could be considered affordable or justified and would hate to have to let our garden die off as a result.
Our household is quite efficient, with new dual-flush toilets, new dishwasher and front-load washer.
Outdoors, we have re-done the garden with lots of drought tolerant plants in mulched beds. We have a vegetable garden to augment our summer grocery costs. We have added drip-lines to water our only real luxury, a new hedge of tiny cedars.
I feel that rates must be re-examined and need to be adjusted downwards significantly.
As it stands we would be charged approximately $1,000 per year, up from approximately $430 last year.
Chris Warltier
Summerland
