Re: City looks at options for universal water metering, from the Nov. 1 Observer.
I wonder if the City is not looking at the wrong end of the pipe; that is to say municipal potable water supply capacity and the need for additional potable water infrastructure.
The City is trying to increase density in Salmon Arm as is evident with several multi-unit developments underway. If 2,000-plus additional units are under consideration, they will need a significant amount of water just to provide for domestic use, let alone responsible garden or lawn use.
Has the City undertaken any planning and engineering analysis to determine if there is enough capacity to provide water for all the new developments with the current water treatment, storage and pumping capacity it has, and can it provide for the larger population it is promoting as densification increases demand in the foreseeable future?
The issue of water is especially foggy since the current OCP is 12 years old and not expected to be updated for at least two years (i.e. by 2025 or 2026). It needs updating to provide a basis for future water demand.
Read more: City of Salmon Arm looks at options for universal water metering
Read more: Meters seen as top option for conserving Salmon Arm water
Furthermore, as new developments are built, there is a fair amount of potable water used to water down dusty building sites, and test water systems once installed. In some cases, the trucked water tanks used by builders contain several thousand liters of potable water. The question is what is the source of this water and is it from metered sources? Also, could untreated lake water be used for dust control if a suitable loading/pumping facility were available to builders, instead of using potable water?
The idea that metering was offered to unmetered households over the last 30 years seems a bit odd. As a resident to Salmon Arm in 2019, we had no indication that metering was being proposed for older properties like ours which was built in 1966. Regardless, we follow the City’s water conservation guidelines. If the city is proposing retrofitting meters on older properties, it might consider refreshing its communications approach regarding such thinking, along with its water conservation communications. Many new arrivals in Salmon Arm may not be aware of the metering issue until now.
I hope this note raises some planning, communications and infrastructure consideration that Council might address before making long-term decisions on how best to manage its potable water challenges.
John Crook
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