[All] Waterloo Record editorial supports GREN position on water conservation and pipeline

[John Jackson]

Let¹s celebrate pipeline delay
Waterloo Region Record
 While some homeowners may have wished for a break in mowing duties this
year, the sight of bright green lawns in August ‹ that were there because of
Mother Nature and not lawn sprinklers ‹ more than compensated for the extra
yard work. 

 Summer 2013 was wet enough in most areas of Waterloo Region to see healthy
lawns in abundance throughout the season, a contrast to the parched lawns on
display the summer before. But the summer of 2011 also saw more than its
fair share of rain, and both that year and this past summer there was little
need to follow outdoor water use restrictions.

 Still, residents seem to be following those watering guidelines when
needed, after coming to realize that while their lawn may have turned brown
due to lack of rain, it isn't dead, it's just dormant, and it will bounce
back in the fall or the following spring.

 Obeying water restrictions is one of the water conservation measures now in
play with the cheering news that the prospect of drawing water to Waterloo
Region from Lake Erie by pipeline has been pushed back 16 years, to 2051.
With even more aggressive conservation efforts, will it be possible to
cancel the pipeline altogether?

 The pipeline proposal first surfaced in the 1980s, spurred on by growth
projections for the region. A target date of 2035 for the pipeline has long
been part of long-term water supply plans, as has the estimated cost: more
than $1 billion. 

 But a lot has changed in the past 30 years, and other changes are on the
horizon. In addition to water restrictions, we've become used to
water-efficient devices in our homes, such as low-flow toilets and shower
heads.  

 Our industrial landscape has also changed dramatically. While we lament the
closure of the Schneider Foods plant in the new year and the lost jobs, we
will also see the departure of one of the major water users in the region.

 The region is projecting daily residential water use to drop to 168 litres
per person by 2025, from the present 203 litres a person, which may sound
impressive, but in the United Kingdom, the average is already 150 litres,
and there are active campaigns there to bring that figure even lower. And
why not? Is it a pipe dream to see that 150-litre figure cut in half some
day? Maybe not. But it will take continued attention to aggressively pursue
water conservation.

 One way to do this, for instance, is the harvesting of rooftop rainwater to
help flush our toilets. Rainwater can also be collected to not only water
your garden, but with a special tank and pump, can be used for your washing
machine or dishwasher.

 Timers can encourage you to spend less time in the shower. Attend to those
dripping taps, and little things like turning off the tap and using a beaker
when cleaning your teeth all impact consumption rates.

 With very real questions about the quality of water that would be drawn if
a Lake Erie pipeline ever did come to fruition, the further and further we
delay this proposal, the better off we'll be.


http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/4287954-let-s-celebrate-pipeline-dela
y/
-- 
John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
519-744-7503


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