If we run low on water, we could always drain the Colliery dams. Just kidding – drought conditions are no joke.
A hot May in Nanaimo was followed by an even hotter June, and if the progression from hot, to hotter, to hottest continues, then we’re in store for a scorching summer.
The problem is that it’s a dry heat. Our snowpack melted away weeks ago, and though the City of Nanaimo reservoirs are expected to hold up, it’s up to residents to be mindful of their water use.
When it comes to conservation, all it really takes is for everyone to share responsibility and do a little or do a lot. We appreciate those people who observe the watering restrictions or go further and allow their lawns to wither and yellow. More laudable are the efforts of those who really take water conservation to heart, and look at ways to reuse their bathwater, for instance. There are so many ideas out there on how to watch our water use that we can pick and choose what can work in our household. Some strategies might be unrealistic, but some might work, and certainly some might be worth a try. If there were ever a summer to try to find new ways to conserve, it’s this one.
As long as almost every resident does his or her share and a few do far more than their share, then it won’t be the end of the world if one or two feel the need to cheat on the hosepipe ban.
As long as we take the issue seriously all summer long, then maybe it will be OK to forget being serious for one day, and instead have fun, and set up a ginormous slip-and-slide on a downtown street.
We can’t splash around in the sprinkler every day, and maybe that’s a modern reality on our warming globe. But if we continue to think about ways to turn off our water taps, then it will taste even sweeter when the taps are turned on.