An open letter to Mayor and Council

Since last year I have been thinking about our water access in our dear City. Every year is hotter and drier, and our water restrictions last longer. Our water reservoir last year was at an all-time low, and with people using too much water, the reservoir was not able to replenish itself. My concern is for constant new developments proposed around and within our City, but our water access remains unchanged. My concern is that we will continue to live in Stage 3 water restrictions, and perhaps one day we won’t even be allowed to water our gardens to feed our families (while car-washes remain operational).

We save a lot of water within our house, as I was raised with a “water conservation brain”, so it drives me up the wall when I see the neighbourhood all around me use water carelessly for things that do not benefit us, like grass (unless you are housing some sort of livestock…). With these concerns, I decided to write a question to my local Mayor and City Council, and it goes like this:

“To the Mayor and City Council,

I will keep this short: what is the alternative plan for a water source for the City of Cranbrook?

Last year it was determined that we were using our reservoir at unsustainable rates; people were using too much water, and with no precipitation, the reservoir was not able to replenish itself. We have not had adequate snowpack or rainfall, and as it stood last year in autumn, we were still at Stage 3 water restrictions.

With proposals of new developments and communities in Cranbrook and area, there is still one major problem to be addressed: access to water. With a low reservoir and too much stress on the water systems, how will the City be able to provide an adequate supply of water to the existing city, in addition to new developments you propose?

Temperatures are rising every year, and regardless of if you “believe in” climate change or not, our climate has and continues to change. It is hotter, it is drier; the wildfire season is ever more rampant, and you need to be able to supply your people with an adequate source of water, or our dear City will cease to exist. The City must take proactive/preventative measures now as their duty, and not leave everyone scrambling reactively later; if your desire is for Cranbrook to expand, there needs to be an alternative water source to sustain our population safely.”

Stay tuned for a response, if I should get one.

In love and compost,

Nadine