Williams Lake residents have reduced water use by 20 per cent since 2006, says the latest report from the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society.
The report was prepared to assess the work of the Water Wise education program, a partnership between the city and the Cariboo Chilcotin Conservation Society.
City council received the report at its regular meeting last week.
In the summer of 2006, the city entered into a fee for service agreement to educate the public on the benefits of conserving water in the community.
The Cariboo Conservation Society achieved this by hosting large public events, such as Earth Day, radio and newspaper ads, displays set up at public buildings including the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex and city hall, children’s day camps, and provided a very comprehensive education program in the public school system with emphasis on the primary grades three and four.
Through this educational program the city and the Cariboo Conservation Society’s intentions were to reduce the amount of water the community was using for its day-to-day use, which in turn would reduce the stress being put on the aquifer that the city draws its water from.
In order to assist the conservation effort, the city has offered residents rebates on low-flow toilets and water-efficient washing machines and dishwashers, which have seen a high rate of interest.
The reduction in water use is among all users — industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential— but it cannot be determined where the largest reduction in daily usage is, as not all water services are metered.
However, it has been suggested that the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors of any community do not use any more water than they need to complete their operation. Assuming this is correct, the lion’s share of water reduction is from the residential users, according to a city press release.
“It is clear from the water reduction numbers that this educational partnership is working,” says Mayor Cook. “Council thanks the Cariboo Chilcotin Conversation Society and city staff for all their work on the Water Wise program, and to all water users who have reduced their consumption in order to protect this most precious resource.”