For the second time in less than 18 months, West Bench residents are going to vote on the future of their water system.
Before voting on Saturday on the proposed purchase of filtered water from the City of Penticton, consider this: The cost estimates per half-acre lot will be only $149 per year more than the current average price of $1,691 per year, based on information taken from the RDOS Area F website http://areaf.rdos.bc.ca. This will buy you high-quality filtered water in place of the non-potable product currently supplied.
Hopefully, each of us will base our vote on what is best for the community, not on misinterpretations of the numbers that have floated in the community lately.
The options for our water system have been reviewed intensively over the past seven years by the former West Bench Irrigation District and RDOS, with city involvement when needed. The due diligence on the project has included input from at least two independent engineering firms.
The costs derived from those studies, used to negotiate the current option before us, show that this is a better plan than UV, both in terms of costs and in terms of resolving the West Bench water treatment in meeting current and future health standards.
The purchase of treated water from Penticton is a good plan. After seven years, it’s time to move on. Vote Yes this Saturday and let’s resolve the West Bench water system’s problems once and for all.
Scott Smith
Penticton