Editor, The Gazette:
Roy Ronaghan's article on your opinion page, "Water meter statements misleading, groundless,” rings absolutely true. And "to suggest that water users will voluntarily conserve the quantities necessary is pure fantasy" tells it like it is.
All you have to do is observe lawn lovers wasting gallons of precious water by drowning their grass patches with programmed water arcs that sometimes overreach by 10 or 15 feet to inundate their carefully paved driveways. Or the city sidewalk.
I observed one gentleman in a retirement community regularly hand-hosing his immaculate triangular lawn at 5:30 a.m.... while his night-time programmed watering system was still throwing three full arcs of water 15 feet beyond his perimeter, all this? WHILE IT WAS RAINING!
This is unconscionable. It is immoral! The only procedure that will stop this insanity is WATER METERS. Do it! I consider that with the torrid temperatures we've been having this summer, a good citizen should have figured out that the water table is too low to afford the luxury of a green lawn. When I see a lush green lawn these days, I think "water thief." Until water meters are installed, a hefty fine might temper this green obsession.
Let's save water for the people who may find their faucets running dry next month... for the farmers who are already rationing themselves... and for the firefighters who might need it to save our forests and our homes.
Huguette Kihl,
Grand Forks