Too willing to go with flow
Editor:
Re: Water upgrades on way, Jan. 1.
My family lives in White Rock and we loved our pure drinking water – prior to last year.
Since last year’s bleaching – albeit a small amount, Epcor says – the taste and quality has changed forever. And what a shame.
Imagine what it will taste like when full treatment comes in. Did everyone out there know that once Fraser Health orders treatment you can never go back? Does it occur to anyone else out there that it is a liability for a water company to have people get sick from water and maybe just maybe this is a scare tactic to push bleaching through?
Was the pigeon-droppings theory (Upgrades on way for Merklin reservoir, Sept. 1, 2010) ever proved, or is this about scaring senior citizens and protecting the company from future libel – just bleach the whole darn thing, then no one can accuse you of getting them sick?
This water, which comes from Sunnyside uplands aquifier, are from wells 200-500 feet deep, is considered excellent quality, containing lots of trace minerals and elements, and what a treat it has been to drink nature’s bounty.
I did a little research in 2005 on White Rock’s water and was shocked when I found out that the utility had come up for sale back in 1978 and was sold to a couple from Delta for $750,000-ish. Apparently, not many people came to bid. My question is – where was the council of the day?
The city could have owned and controlled their own utility/asset and owned the 3.67 acres of land, too, and actually created revenue for the city, instead of relying on parking revenue all the time!
What a royally lost opportunity to purchase cheap at the time.
To the best that my memory serves, the couple from Delta eventually sold the utility to another purchaser for more money but still a reasonable sum for the day, which means the city had another opportunity to buy it, but the council of that day obviously didn’t feel that it was important or we would have heard about it.
I only heard about it in Peace Arch News when the utility was sold – a third time – to Epcor. At the time, it was one of the largest water sources for sale in Canada and only serving 20,000 people. Incidentally, the report I read said Epcor will sell 2.67 acres of the land in 2013, as they don’t need it and aren’t in the business of real estate. Well that’s a smart deal for Epcor and helps pay for their original investment, too!
To think White Rock City Hall could have been in charge of this asset just begs questioning.
Is anybody out there wondering if we can do anything about choosing to drink nature’s bounty in its purest form, or are we just going to lie down and be told what to do by Fraser Health and a private utility company?
Sheila Hunter-Tubic, White Rock
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