If you are not one of the fortunate Surrey residents to already have a water meter – mandatory for new construction, but optional for existing residences – you may not be aware of the fact that every year you subsidize the water usage of high-volume water consumers, like hothouses or some industrial facilities.
If you have a water meter, you only pay for your own consumption and, consequently, usually pay much less than what the average household does annually.
Should the proposed direct coal transfer facility at Fraser Surrey Docks be approved by Port Metro Vancouver – something that is not a “done deal” – those without water meters will likely pay a little more for their water than they do now.
That facility will be consuming millions of litres of water annually in the spraying of water on coal laden rail cars waiting to be unloaded at the proposed terminal.
While the new facility would be required to install a water meter and thus would only pay for their own significant consumption, Surrey residents without water meters will pay indirectly for the coal facility’s water usage, in more ways than one.
Every year, we are subject to regular water restrictions during the summer months.
The proposed facility would have no such restrictions.
Many have probably already experienced periods where residential water pressure is reduced due to supply-and-demand issues.
Fast-forward to a time when millions more litres of water are siphoned out of the system to spray on coal and then pumped into the Fraser. Needless to say, we will all suffer in multiple ways as a result.
If you are okay with this, then continued apathy is the way to go.
Otherwise, it’s time more of us get active in the fight against this proposal.
If not for the environment, do it for your own wallet’s sake.
Shaun Garvey
Delta