A watery reprieve, a little jubilation
I’ve been forgetting to tell you something awesome that happened last week!
When I purchased this acreage in 1993, there was already in place a waterline from a spring on adjacent land. I went to see a close relative of the elderly widow who owned the wilderness area from whence the water came, and he said, “Ann, you will never have a problem with getting water from there.” I took this as a “gentleman’s agreement” that I had access to the source of water, and indeed, he helped me repair the line a couple of times and coached me about cleaning out the reservoir on the mountainside. The system had already been there for at least 20 years, serving only this home.
Time passed, and the dear old lady died, and the lands became the property of a grandson. While the land was in probate, I was granted Water Rights on that spring (having had applied while the owner was living). Upon urging from the man who became the owner of the source of that water, I paid for “test holes” to be dug in order to find an alternate source of water for a well. He was telling me that I would have to buy access from him, IF he decided to let me keep the waterline and water. He was also furious that I had been granted Rights on the spring, and took the Water Management Branch (with me as a “third party”) to court, to try to get the Water Rights removed. My Water Rights were upheld, after a disconcerting hearing with the Environmental Board, which determined that I should be able to keep the use of the water and the system with it. This was a nerve-wracking experience but I believed that I had “won” the case.
That autumn, anxious to resolve the conflict, I had a well installed, and the water turned out to be unpotable, so rusty that you can’t even wash clothes in it. We still had water from the mountainside at this point. During the winter, I got a letter from the lawyer for the grandson, saying that I would have to remove my waterline from his property within 6 months. I phoned and I sent a letter, trying to appeal to his decency, saying that the well water was not turning out for me, my daughters and by this time, Gary. Gary suggested that I offer to meet with that guy and negotiate payment for access. My phonecall and letter were unanswered, again.
The spring came and early summer, and believe it or not, since the grandson was not living on the mountainside, we didn’t worry about the water source, thinking he wouldn’t “cut us off” while the waterline and reservoir were not in his way, nor needed BY him. However, while Gary and I were away from home that summer, this fellow SEVERED our waterline. He simply cut it and put a tap in it, so that nobody had access to the water. My daughters didn’t know what had become of the “good” water, while caring for animals and plants here.
I phoned the Water Management Branch, and they said that although I had valid Water Rights, as I did not have legal access, there was nothing I could do about what had happened. They counselled me that I could expropriate, but “off the record”, advised me against it because the grandson has a large and wealthy family in my area. I was reminded that relatives would help the guy appeal and appeal until we were broke and defeated.
SO, to my point. Water has been a continuing “issue” for us. In order to maintain enough water in our well for household use and garden and now garden centre, we have had to haul “town” water in a tank in the back of my truck, and add it to the well. We have had to do this from July to September, as a rule, since year 2000, almost daily in those summer months. We always have to worry about water. The quality is a huge problem, but the insufficient supply more miserable. I think of “the grandson” every time I scrub rust off the shower stall or toilet, haul drinking water, or fill the big tank in my truck. When Gary tells me that the well is “low”, I seethe.
Last week Gary, armed with 1100 feet of plastic pipe, ran a waterline up to a small creek directly above us (owned by yet another party), with permission of course. This is all above ground, so obviously just a “summertime” line, but we have been able to add water to our well, use the mountain spring water for drinking, and I’ve been able to water the “garden centre” to my heart’s delight! There has been a bit of rain here, so we haven’t had to worry too much about the vegetable garden.
It’s not the END of the water saga, but somehow seems a “just” reprieve for the water woes we’ve had. It is cause for some jubilation. That’s the end of my story about it, for now. ~ Ann
