BOIL WATER METERS
Hi folks.
Many thanks to those taxpayers and property owners (both in and outside of the Graham Lake subdivision) who remain interested, concerned and provide feedback and input. Well, it’s been seven years of uncertainty and another six months since the last instalment and another six months of nothing but Boil Water Notice and Out Of Service Fire Hydrants. CVRD CEO James Warren and our CVRD elected Representative Daniel Arbour have yet to honestly dialogue on these issues. Daniel’s last communique back in July 2024 was “awaiting the next report from staff…to put to residents”. Was there a first time report?
Some of you have approached me to table your concerns here and address some ridiculous outstanding falsehoods.
First to your concerns.
1. There’s a lack of honest transparency and accurate information.
Indeed. It’s been seven convoluted years; there’s still no project name, scope or budget. CVRD’s stated trajectory for your Water bill is $3,000/ year or more (toll&tax) and this comes with billing manipulation; You WILL pay regardless if you receive a compliant water product, a service or not. Where did our $250,000 capital fund go? Where is the $1.2 million grant at? Lacking is coherent, concise, consistent updates. For reference: Royston water is $265/ year, Union Bay water is $603/ year and Graham Lake $975/year (source: CVRD Service Tax only). Yes, troubling.
2. Installation of water meters?
Another neighbour asked, “Do water meters satisfy any of the Surface Water Treatment Objective’s (SWTO) five goals?”. Well? James or Daniel; Can the CVRD explain the financial model for our limited subdivision footprint that confirms the recovery of the $200,000 minimum installation cost, plus future operation & maintenance and revenue sustainability, while satisfying the SWTO goals? Will taxpayers foot the bill for an incompetent “Boil Water Meter” priority? Who’s dreaming this stuff up?
3. Water quality and cost.
A concerned taxpayer didn’t realize the water condition until they cleaned their water pik dental appliance. Others have installed, at our own expense, point of entry or use filters and know the degree of bio matter accumulation. The only constantly pushed narrative is a bureaucratic “fix” with a water treatment project cost “surprise” trajectory of 2, 4, 8 million dollars. Bureaucracies love to spend inordinate amounts of other people’s money, historically, little is received in return. Where is the steering committee oversight? Do we need an ego plated treatment project? What is the budget? What do we actually need to do to have compliant water? What treatment methods are there? What options do we want to pursue? Subdivision residents were sold on a $1,000/year (toll&tax) water bill and “All Free Today” CVRD water treatment project. What happened?
4. Out of Service Fire Hydrants
An engaged neighbour asked; “When will the required subdivision Fire Hydrant infrastructure, which already exists and remains out of service and with seemingly no immediate service plan, enter back into operation?”. Graham Lake offers (ONLY through its Fire Hydrants) 60 million gallons of water for subdivision Fire suppression. That’s why the subdivision was approved for development. It’s clear to many that a multi layer (all Fire suppression water sources & delivery) approach is prudent for our island’s Fire safety. Who exactly is saying otherwise? Who exactly authorized the removal of the emergency bypass in the pumphouse? Superior Tanker Shuttle (STS) creditation MUST deliver 200 imperial gallons per minute and when it can’t (as in the recent East Road house fire) another water/ delivery source layer should be there to support. STS is NOT designed for subdivision Fire suppression. Daniel stated in a July 2024 communique he has been “assured” Fire Hydrants are “…not a key concern at this time”. “At this time?”. Myself, others and industry Fire protection professionals have a hard time believing that any Regional or local Fire Chief would be foolish or conflicted enough to make such a statement. Can it be true? Again, We approach another summer with CVRD’s political incompetence as our safety factor?
The lessons of the recent LA Fire still seem unlearned. Water puts out fires, ask those who used pool water and sprinklers that saved homes. Fire insurance and political inconvenience was of little affect.
Now to some ridiculous falsehoods
1. Civil servants, elected representatives and bureaucracies are infallible experts that are never answerable to the taxpayer and property owner’s concerns and questions.
Newsflash: They work for us, the taxpayer and property owner. No? Honest dialogue is a critical element of transparency. That’s part of the job not just weeks of summer vacations. A lack of transparency is really a lack of respect for the taxpayer and property owner. Transparency results in accountability. Accountability results in better outcomes. Expectations are James and Daniel are here for us, nothing else.
2. Another bit of ridiculous nonsense is that the Union Bay Estates “unnecessarily” installed a subdivision Fire Hydrant system during COVID.
At a glance this is about a half million dollars worth of financial burden to carry regardless of COVID. Having successfully performed decades of estimating, specifying for project development and logistic coordination to completion of multi-million dollar mechanical/ water projects; no one estimates or installs any systems unless its specified. For those unaware, this would get you immediately sacked in the private/ corporate sector. Why would Graham Lake, KIRNEL, Ships Point, Union Bay and more have Fire Hydrants? And no, COVID can’t be blamed, Fire Hydrants were/ are a specified requirement for subdivisions. James believes Fire Hydrants are being installed “in the absence of regulatory requirement”. Make it make Fire standard, code and suppression sense because it doesn’t.
3. There’s also a foolish notion about CVRD being or accessing “resources”.
Having worked with some exemplary GVRD/ Metro Vancouver Engineers, none thought themselves as “resources”. I experienced quite the opposite. They cared about satisfying project scope , solving specification conflicts, adhering to standards & codes, meeting the budget and construction deadlines. Seven years has past; What’s the status of our water treatment compliance and Fire Hydrants again?
Additionally, CVRD is an ever expanding administrative bureaucratic machine. Left unchecked it will constantly consume an ever increasing demand of resources, your tax dollars. The CVRD is not an engineering, construction, fire protection or mechanical firm.
4. Have “Patience”.
A Guns n Roses song is irrelevant to the seven years of costly squander.
In closing; I’ve been told “the Graham Lake subdivision gets what it deserves”.
I don’t hold this nihilistic view. I do however believe the subdivision has been subject to some very bad faith and costly actors.
What further can be done? Continue to pay escalating prices for sub par service? Plenty of Grapevine instalments have been already written detailing multiple pathways to cost effective solutions and options. Your comments were gathered and a presentation was made with an accompanying binder submitted (at CVRD-EASC meeting). All was immediately dismissed (via email) by CVRD’s legal department. IF water cost, sustainability, quality and Fire suppression are important to you and your family’s life & safety; Become engaged, ask questions, do research and consider the validity of the above information. Your continued questions, input and support appreciated.
Have a great summer!
