Dear Editor:
With most of us locked down in our homes, this pandemic year has made us focus on the fundamental aspects of our lives. It has heightened our appreciation of the simple things; things as simple as tap water.
While we are being asked to wash our hands a million times a day, no matter what else has changed this past year, we can turn on our taps and water comes out. For most of us, this little miracle of water coming up from the ground and into our water glass is a process we don’t think about. And one we quite possibly take for granted. We might not give water much thought at all unless one day we turned on our tap and there was none.
Part of that might be because when it comes to municipal infrastructure, we don’t see the attention spent on our water. We understand what’s going on with roads and bridges because we see these work projects and the machinery and detours. But with water, the infrastructure is largely invisible to us. Out of sight, out of mind.
Consider what has happened this past year. We’ve had to pivot in these times, and the “new normal” of many working from home instead of leaving Centre Wellington for the day resulted in increased use of our water system. Our summer vacations became staycations with folks putting in backyard pools, beautifying yards and turning on the sprinkler for the kids. And yet with all of us mostly home, and using this additional water, we could still turn on our taps and fresh water was there for us.
I say kudos to our Centre Wellington operations staff who have been working in pandemic-required shifts, with a limit to who can work in any location at any given time, and how many can be on hand to deal with any unexpected situations when they arise. They’ve managed to ensure that all our wells keep working to accommodate the additional water demand.
I suggest that the next time we fill our kettle or wash our hands we give a thought of appreciation to water. And to the municipal water staff who have worked over and above to ensure that we get through this challenging time.
Jan Beveridge,
Elora