In the summer of 2012, Ottawa was in the midst of drought-like conditions. We hadn’t seen any rain for many weeks—really, not much since March. I had written about the joys of no water. This was in Living Without Water, a post about a time a few years earlier. A water main break had forced our section of town to ration water. But even compared to that, the lawn looked even crunchier that year
(AI Generated)
We still had a water barrel left over from those rationing days. I used it to try to water the plants. But by then, it was bone dry. If we were lucky, we might get a cloudburst to refill it—but even those hadn’t shown up recently.
Ontario Hydro had already implemented its “smart meter” system using variable electricity rates to influence peak usage. It made me wonder why the City of Ottawa hadn’t done something similar for water.
Instead of simply raising water taxes repeatedly to fund upgrades, why not charge more to the biggest users—especially during droughts? That would at least encourage some moderation in consumption when it mattered most.
Some neighbours seemed joyfully oblivious to the drought. They watered their lawns, pressure washed driveways, and washed their cars without a second thought—or any consequences.
Should I have cared? Maybe not—but it definitely got under my skin. I really wanted to ask the guy pressure washing his driveway every week: “Why? Why are you doing this?”
If anyone can explain this compulsion to hose down a driveway, I’m all ears. I get it if you're about to seal it, but weekly cleanings?
So there you go, City of Ottawa. Want to rake in some real money and help the environment? Try smart water meters and variable water usage rates. You’re welcome!
I hate that people water their lawns, especially during dry times like this. Everybody’s lawn looks bad, why must you have a green one? In fact if every lawn is brown except one it is the green one that looks bad and out of place. We have a water ban on now but our small town has no by-law enforcement officers so the worst offenders continue to water their lawns freely.
And pressure washing a driveway? Unless you are driving a $100,000 car or are sealing it there is absolutely no need for that. Some people just don’t care.
“…however wasting water during a drought always makes me scratch my head.”
I hear ya.
Wasting water anytime, is a waste. People take this stuff for granted. In another 50 years, they won’t.
Actually, people in Ottawa are being encouraged to water their lawns to avoid brush fires. Ottawa gets its water from the Ottawa River, which has plenty of capacity to handle our water usage. It is the people who are on the Rideau River that must ration their water usage.
I read that and scratched my head a little. Given I am near the brush fires burning in Ottawa, I guess it makes sense, however wasting water during a drought always makes me scratch my head.
Lack of Accountability = Very Few People Care.
Hand out a few $200 fines and suddenly people won’t waste so much.
Well, as Josh pointed out evidently we are SUPPOSED to waste water in Ottawa, now that sounds more like our Municipal Government…