To paraphrase Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz … water and power and fire, oh my!
Unlike Dorothy’s fears of walking through the unknown and creepy forest, the fear of forest fires, of power outages and water shortages are only too real this summer for citizens of the Fraser Valley.
Hot dry weather has the province raising a flag on water usage, B.C. Hydro expressing concern about power usage across the province and the Coastal Fire Centre declaring a total ban on campfires.
Taken together, it all sounds a bit apocalyptic.
But we haven’t reached the end of times just yet – these are necessary precautions being taken by those in positions of authority.
Here in Campbell River we’re fortunate that we’re still only in stage one watering restrictions.
Thanks to what the city is calling a marked diligence by residents in conserving water, we’ve yet to enter stage two watering restrictions. Under stage one, residents are restricted to watering their lawns only on certain days of the week. Odd numbered houses can water on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. and even numbered houses can water between those same times but on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
Are these measures inconvenient? Maybe a little.
However, a few simple restrictions may prove to have a huge impact down the road. Perhaps it is time to take notice of these times, when our systems are being pressed to the limit and wonder what it might be like in years to come, when severe restrictions are placed on power and water as a routine measure.
Are we ready to handle an extreme shortage for any serious length of time?Sure, conserving a few drops of water here and there might not seem like a lot, but those drops add up fast. And developing a conservationist attitude now, both as individuals and as a community, is the path to ensuring there will be resources available for our grandchildren.
-Black Press