They’re among the most worrying local impacts of our changing climate: our winter snowpacks in the mountains are in decline while our summer droughts are getting more severe. Feeling a bit parched? That’s our water supply drying up.
Following a motion from Coun. Jordan Back last week, District of North Vancouver staff are investigating the feasibility and upfront costs of mandatory water meters in the municipality.
It appears the proposal is going to have a hard time getting through council though, with the mayor and some elected members quick to point out that the costs for residents would be a non-starter.
There are, however, both principled and practical reasons for those council members to keep an open mind when staff report back.
Today, the district charges the same flat fee of $901 to every single-family property owner whether they’re running a sprinkler all day or letting their lawn go naturally dormant. People who use less water effectively subsidize those who use more. It’s fundamentally inequitable. Worse, it shows that we don’t really care about carefully managing an increasingly scarce but precious resource. We incentivize waste.
Municipalities that have made the upfront investment like Richmond and West Vancouver have seen almost immediate results in reduced water consumption. They also benefit from having real-time data on water usage.
The water flowing from our taps on the North Shore is the envy of the world. Let’s treat every last drop with the respect it deserves.
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