Dear Editor:

I am gratified to see that finally the district is taking some action to deal with the wasteful irrigation practices of some landowners in our community.

When I saw the figure of 19 water abusers, however, I was surprised it was so small. Then I read the article again and realized that these folks are receiving attention because they are exceeding their allotment.

The vast majority of irrigators stay within the allotment.

However, the allotment, the amount of water you are entitled to by paying your annual fee, is far higher than anyone would need if they practiced conservation and used drip irrigation where feasible.

As a result, a lot of this water is wasted even though they are staying under the radar in total water use.

The new water metering charges to be implemented in 2010 will certainly affect the 19 super abusers but will not address the more common abuse as my understanding is that charges will only kick in once the irrigator has reached his allotment.

I think we are going to still see an awful lot of water being wasted.

I have seen pastures so waterlogged that ducks are landing in them. I have seen people irrigating at noon when the temperature is in the high 30s and most of the water evaporates before it hits the ground. I have seen a fellow watering a pasture full of knapweed and toadflax. I have seen another fellow water 10 acres of pasture so one superannuated horse can have a chew.

None of these people are likely to change their behaviour because they probably use less than their allotments and get their water at a fixed fee.

It is not the 19 super abusers who are wasting most of the water. It is all the ones who use less than their allotment but for no useful purpose. Not because these irrigators are irresponsible louts but because they are not paying fair market value for it.

I use about one per cent of my allotment but I have to pay the same price as if I used 100 per cent. Where is my incentive to conserve?

With our pricing system as it is (and to some degree as it is proposed starting in 2010) we are not giving irrigators the information they need to figure out that it is not viable to spend $15,000 on water to produce $1,000 worth of hay or that 10 acres of pasture for Old Dobbin is costing $10,000 per year.

We are not letting people know what the true cost of their farming operation is so that they can make informed choices about what to grow or so that they can make an informed evaluation of the economics of changing their irrigation methods.

Right now, all of us are paying for this water. We are paying a $125 per year parcel tax for the Thirsk Dam and water treatment plant, neither of which would have been needed if there had not been so much waste.

I propose that we start metering and charging for every drop that the irrigators use starting right now with the intent that the charges cover 80 per cent of the cost of the water system. And just to be fair, we should proceed with installing meters on all residences as well to cover the other 20 per cent.

I don’t believe in telling people what to do but I do believe in people paying for their choices.

George Lerchs

Summerland