EDITOR:
Learning is important. Schools and universities play a significant role in the process. For too many years, society has been convinced that is the only way to learn, to get a better job, to solve problems and to contribute to our communities. I believe people also learn by doing. Today, when a problem develops, too many people run to their computers and adopt solutions which may not work and in fact cost our communities dearly. Water has become a problem for farmers. No deep-water wells, no irrigation, no practical solutions. On P.E.I. millions of liters of rain fall on every acre of land annually. Much goes to rivers, thus to the ocean to cause problems there.
Charlottetown and other municipalities contribute to the problem. The volume of water running from the roofs of large buildings, houses, driveways, streets, and massive parking lots is enormous. Where does it go? It goes to the ocean via systems which have cost millions.
Some possible answers to this waste are simple, practical and less expensive than the taxes required to pay for some grandiose suggestions to date. Farmers could build ponds using water diverted from houses, barns, warehouses, factories, and machine sheds and used for washing potatoes, watering cattle and irrigation on a timely basis.
Cities and towns can devise a plan to divert water collected in the same way to high end users, car washes, parks, sports fields and community gardens. Malls with huge paved lots have opportunities to collect and become self-sustaining.
Garth E. Staples,
Charlottetown
