819 replies to this topic

[aastra]

 

Today’s building standards are far more complex and labour intensive. Like a modern car, for example.

 

For sure, but methinks that's no small aspect of the larger issue. The "hurry-up home" is still standing almost 70 years later. People are still driving cars from back then. Today we're very impressed with ourselves if we manage to set up a few tents and some cardboard boxes in just 6-12 months with a budget of only a few million dollars. (I exaggerate, but you get my point.)

My main point is the per capita difference: less than half the population but significantly more than half the activity. Everything was much more intense per capita back in the day than it is today, even though we like to assume the opposite. We like to suppose the overall pace of everything was slower, even though most of the city we see today was built back in the day and not recently. Most of today's apartment buildings were built decades ago rather than recently. Saanich's "baby boom" era growth would cause people today to faint from fright, the transformation was so extensive and so sweeping. Sleepy little Oak Bay grew like a weed from the 1930s through to the late 1960s before we all decided it was a place that never changed, etc.

[Mike K.]

Yes.

The only thing I can think of is the unseen hand of government interference that has us praising these suppressed figures.

[Mike K.]

But the thing is, we can see it now. It’s literally the bureaucratic process that stalls solutions.

I think nparker is right. As long as you have a crisis, you’re not responsible for whatever you do, even if it’s way less than what our forefathers could do, with less.

[Nparker]

Never doubt Nparker. 🤪

[aastra]

 

I think nparker is right.

 

Holy crap.

[aastra]

^Not only is Mike K. acknowledging another forumer, but he's acknowledging Nparker of all people. (My money would have been on somebody like gumgum or maybe Oxford Sutherland.)

[Nparker]

^Not only is Mike K. acknowledging another forumer, but he's acknowledging Nparker of all people. (My money would have been on somebody like gumgum or maybe Oxford Sutherland.)

   

[aastra]

Some stuff about water restrictions. Did y'all know about those deep wells? I had no idea.

 

 

Daily Colonist
August 2, 1968

Silence Greets Tisdalle Blast

Regional politicians apparently don't want to get their feet wet in the Stephen-Tisdalle water fight.

Most would offer no comment Thursday after MLA John Tisdalle had blistered Victoria mayor Hugh Stephen's defence of watering restrictions in Greater Victoria.

Mr. Tisdalle's criticism was prompted by an announcement Wednesday that watering restrictions in the Greater Victoria region would begin Thursday.

Water Curb
In announcing the water curb, Mayor Stephen explained the cause was not a shortage but an insufficient distribution system.

"We have more than enough water to supply our needs throughout the long dry summer and fall," he said.

"Unfortunately, our distribution system can't get the water in enough volume to satisfy all the demands."

Mr. Tisdalle accused the regional board of being short-sighted where the water needs of Sidney are concerned.

Northern Tip
"I think they want to strangle the northern tip of the peninsula -- see it die of thirst," he said.

Mayor Stephen chose to ignore the Tisdalle attack, but did say he felt the regional policy would show the northern part of the peninsula was being helped in every way possible.

North Saanich Mayor J.B. Cumming and Central Saanich Mayor R. Gordon Lee both said they chose not to comment on the matter.

Both areas get their water supply from Elk Lake and have been pushing to get Greater Victoria water piped up the peninsula.

Sidney, where water restrictions have been in effect for about a month, gets its supply from wells in the district.

 

--

 

 

Daily Colonist
July 9, 1970

Revised Water Restrictions

...the following water restrictions are in effect in the City of Victoria, Municipalities of Esquimalt, Saanich, Oak Bay and unincorporated areas of View Royal, Colwood, Langford, Metchosin and Sooke Harbor.

EVEN-NUMBERED HOUSES, APARTMENTS, PREMISES MAY WATER ON EVEN-NUMBERED DAYS ONLY.

ODD-NUMBERED HOUSES, APARTMENTS, PREMISES MAY WATER ON ODD-NUMBERED DAYS ONLY

...no watering at all between noon and 7:30pm by anyone.

Water consumption has been high in Greater Victoria, where rainfall has been minimal, and it is pertinent to take steps now to maintain pressure and conserve water supplies against the possibility that this drought may last until late fall as it did last year.

Your Observance of These Regulations is Requested

No watering at all 12 NOON-7:30 PM

Greater Victoria Water District

 

--

 

 

Daily Colonist
August 22, 1978

Peninsula well-owners are going deeper

What appears to be a long-term trend toward permanently drier weather is forcing many Saanich Peninsula residents to deepen their wells.

At the same time, partly because of pollution and partly because of excess demand over supply, residents in the Metchosin-William Head-Happy Valley-Humpback area are replacing their shallow dug wells with deeper drilled wells.

...if last winter's rainfall hadn't been close to or better than normal "we might have seen a crisis situation this summer."

(aastra says: if things hadn't been perfectly fine they might have been disastrous)

...with the Greater Victoria Water District now supplying Sidney and North Saanich as well as its traditional area, if rainfall had been low last winter "we probably would have been looking at water restrictions all over this summer."

"...it seems to me we've entered a long-term trend to drier weather."

...last winter broke the trend temporarily at least, and only time would tell whether the dry trend will stay.

...large numbers of residents on drilled well supplies on Saanich Peninsula had their wells deepened this summer...

When the homes were built, most wells were drilled to about 100 feet but the ground-water level has dropped and the average deepening job was to about 200 feet.

The average well drilled in the western community runs to 250 to 300 feet, again seeking out water-bearing fissures in the bedrock. "We've recently drilled a couple of wells at Sooke that run about 500 feet deep,"

Although precipitation so far this month at 13.8 mm is better than last year's zero precipitation to Aug. 19 and the long-term average for August to date of 10 mm, records taken by the Pat Bay weather office show 1978 to be drier than last year to date and the 30-year average.

Edited by aastra, 28 November 2022 - 07:29 PM.

[aastra]

In 1967 they said Victoria had never had water restrictions before. They wouldn't even know how to impose them! But what do you know? During the very next summer (1968) there were water restrictions (as per the first article in my previous post).

 

 

Daily Colonist
August 8, 1967

City Water Supply

Good Rain Quickly -- Or Else

With up to 40,000,000 gallons of water being used every day, the protracted dry spell is beginning to worry officials of the Greater Victoria Water District.

Commissioner Ronald Upward said Monday that he didn't at present envision restrictions on the use of water, but the continuing heavy demand was causing him concern.

"The demand has never let up this year," Mr. Upward said. "Usually we have a peak consumption period and then the demand falls off, allowing us to catch our breath, but this summer the heavy demand for water goes on day after day. It's worrying."

(aastra says: The commissioner of the GV Water District finds Greater Victoria's consistent daily demand for water to be worrying. If he was the CEO of Safeway would he find consistent daily demand for food to be worrying?)

Normal summer consumption is in the neighborhood of 32,600,000 gallons a day, but this year it has poured into Greater Victoria at a steady rate of between 38,000,000 and 40,000,000 gallons.

Mr. Upward said that he felt that in some cases water was being wasted. One reason this was so, he said, was because the cost of water to consumers was so low -- lower than almost anywhere else in the province.

(aastra says: People just have it too easy, that's the problem. Increased fees and taxes are always the solution. But wait a second, in 1967 wasn't Victoria suffering through one of the worst years ever of its longstanding housing crisis? So many people struggling just to make ends meet? Methinks the crocodile tears of the authorities are the only water source that's never in short supply.)

"I sure would love to see one good rain. Why, it's away back in May sometime since we had a good downpour. One good rain would bring the level of Sooke Lake up to where it should be, and ease a lot of our minds," the commissioner added.

(aastra says: Yeah, but what are the odds of a rainy day happening in Victoria in mid- to late August?)

He asked all Greater Victorians to exercise a little restraint in their use of water. If they do not, he said some sort of control may be needed.

Victoria has never had water restrictions, Mr. Upward said, and he was not sure how they could be imposed. They certainly would be very difficult to enforce, he conceded.

This is not the only problem worrying water district officials. Mr. Upward said Monday that miners have run into "bad ground" at the Goldstream end of the five-mile tunnel being driven to Sooke Lake, which when finished will triple the area's water supply.

Mud has slowed progress of the job down to a walk and instead of driving ahead at the rate of 15 to 25 feet a day, miners spent the past week shovelling the viscous stuff out of the tunnel.

In addition to the obvious difficulty of working in mud, miners have to do extra shoring and timbering in the inside of the tunnel to avoid cave-ins.

(aastra says: You know you're in a very concerning dry period when thick mud is stalling your excavation work.)

Edited by aastra, 28 November 2022 - 07:36 PM.

[Nparker]

I guess 50+ years of drought have helped stave off rising sea levels, at least for a while. Phew.

[aastra]

Saanich had water restrictions in 1950. But in 1967 the commissioner of the Greater Victoria Water District said Victoria had never had water restrictions before. You could assume the commissioner was referring to the CoV when he said "Victoria" had never had restrictions, but why would the commissioner of the "Greater Victoria Water District" be splitting hairs like that?

 

 

Daily Colonist
July 25, 1950

Reimposed Restrictions Ease Saanich Shortage of Water

Reimposing of strict watering restrictions in Saanich has returned the municipality's water supply to normal Summer condition.

The latest restrictions are slightly easier than the original ones, in that householders on their designated day can start watering at 8pm instead of 10pm.

--

Fires
Grass fires kept Greater Victoria firemen busy over the week-end.

City firemen extinguished grass fires at Heywood Avenue and Park Boulevard, 800 block Pemberton Road, and Douglas and Michigan Streets. They also put out a fire in a flower box at the Kelly-Douglas Ltd. building on Store Street.

Oak Bay firemen dealt with grass fires near the Victoria Golf Club on Beach Drive, and across from the Victoria Riding Academy on Cedar Hill Crossroad.

Saanich firemen quelled a brush fire Sunday near the intersection of Blenkinship Road and Judge Place.

In Esquimalt, firemen beat down a grass fire near Sturdee Street and Lang's Cove.

Edited by aastra, 28 November 2022 - 07:52 PM.

[LJ]

aastra, can you stop flooding us with those posts, I'll cry a river if you don't.

[aastra]

Are you trying to muddy the waters by sprinkling misinformation?

[aastra]

Check it out:

 

 

Daily Colonist
May 25, 1969

Sprinkling Misinformation

Somebody Goofed on Water Front

A mixup somewhere between the Saanich municipal engineer's office and the police department had hundreds of Saanich residents observing the wrong watering restrictions Friday.

The same mixup was responsible for incorrect information in Friday's Colonist, and in the instructions given by Saanich police to enquirers throughout the day.

According to instructions from Saanich Police Chief W.A. Pearson, all watering was forbidden between 5pm and 9pm daily, with watering allowed on alternate days.

Chief Pearson said he had gained his information from the municipal engineer's office.

However, assistant engineer John Cowlin said he had given the right information to the police department.

"I had the correct information and the mixup occured somewhere between here and Chief Pearson's office..."

By Friday night the mistake had been corrected and Saanich police were giving out correct information.

Water restrictions are being imposed not because of a shortage of water but to ensure that householders in all parts of the Greater Victoria Water District have adequate pressure during the evening meal period.

The restrictions, which went into effect Friday, mean:

All householders can water up to 5pm.

On odd calendar days, odd-numbered houses water from 5pm to 9pm.

On even calendar days, even-numbered houses water between 5pm and 9pm.

No restrictions apply before 5pm and after 9pm.

[aastra]

Oak Bay:

 

 

Daily Colonist
June 4, 1950

Oak Bay Watering

TAKE NOTICE that the following watering restrictions are in force in the Municipality from June 2, 1950 until further notice.

Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays, even-numbered houses only permitted to water lawns and gardens.

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, odd numbers only permitted to water lawns and gardens.

No restrictions on Sunday watering except as per next paragraph:

Owners with fixed sprinkling systems must not use same between the hours of 5pm and 9pm on any day (including Sunday). From 10pm to 6am there are no watering restrictions of any sort.

Edited by aastra, 28 November 2022 - 08:15 PM.

[aastra]

Ouch, there's a zinger for you:

 

 

Daily Colonist
September 30, 1976

One for Saving

They may be good only for bulldozing into garbage in Victoria, but 19th-century homes in Peotone, Illinois get a little respect. Two-storey frame "shack" bought as part of acreage by developer... is being dismantled board by board to be taken to Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

[aastra]

There's always another hoop to jump through:

 

 

Daily Colonist
May 23, 1969

Dry Heat Limits Garden Watering

A new record high temperature for May 22 of 80 degrees Thursday brought on watering restrictions for the Greater Victoria area.

Water board officials announced that prolonged dry weather and warm days made restrictions necessary. (aastra says: in May! I guess they didn't know it often pours rain in Victoria during June.)

Gardens may be watered by houses with even numbers on even calendar days, and by odd numbers on odd days. There will be no watering at all between 5pm and 9pm any day.

Thursday's heat record just barely ousted the old one of 79.9 degrees, set May 22, 1914. Record high for the month of May is 85 degrees, recorded on May 26, 1947.

Outlook for the weekend is sunny and cooler.

[Victoria Watcher]

79.9 = 26.6
85 = 29.4 (1947)

That record was subsequently broken in 1983. With 29.5.

But climate change has left May alone now for almost 40 years. For some reason.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 28 November 2022 - 08:40 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

It’s not messing with September either.

[aastra]

^And here come the cranks, right on schedule. Always wondering about things, asking questions, looking into stuff...