Letter to Editor: It’s EWUA’s Fault We are in this Situation

— from Doug Bechtel —

A couple of weeks ago I got a very poorly worded letter from Eastsound Water Users Association (EWUA) about outbuildings on my property that might have a toilet or sink that I did not report to EWUA. To me the letter said: “ We know you are out there and we know you are crooks and we’re going to catch you and we’re going to make you pay and pay”. Given the tone of that letter, I wouldn’t be surprised to find Paul Kamin peeking in my windows or the windows of my out buildings to see if I have an illegal toilet hidden somewhere.

We’re talking about a regulation that has been on the books of EWUA for over 40 years and has evidently never been enforced. Now they are dusting it off and going to enforce it retroactively. It’s a terribly worded regulation. For example, according to the letter from EWUA, if, over the past 40 years, you have EVER parked a trailer or RV or mobile home on your property EVEN IF YOU HAVE NEVER CONNECTED IT TO THE WATER SYSTEM, even if it has been removed, you must pay this fee. This is true even if no one has ever lived in it; just parking it on your property is enough to incur this fee. My guess is that EWUA will selectively enforce this rule. Sound familiar?

More to the point: Does it really make any difference how many buildings on my property have toilets? Will my wife and I use more water if we have seventeen toilets than if we have one? Of course not. The real issue should be how much water we use, not whether we use the water to flush toilets or wash dishes with it. If for some mysterious reason it really is important to know how many toilets I have (which I doubt), all they need to do is look at the Building Permits. If there is some legitimate reason they need to know how many dwelling units are on my property (which I grant there might very well be), don’t make it about the money, make it about the information you need.

It’s EWUA’s fault that we are in this situation. Don’t punish those who didn’t follow a rule they didn’t know about because you didn’t do your job. Grandfather them and move forward. There are more important things for EWUA to do than peek in our windows looking for toilets.

Over the past several years the Eastsound Water And Sewer District has had several difficult issues to face with their customers. In every case they sat down with the affected people and came up with a solution that worked for both parties.

To the EWUA Board: Accept some responsibility for this problem. Don’t decree from on high. Take a lesson from the Sewer District and sit down with the people who are affected and come up with a solution that works for everyone.

Doug Bechtel – EWUA member since 1989