WATER: Setbacks make perfect sense

I was unable to attend the last planning commission meeting which dealt with setbacks for sensitive areas such as bodies of water. And, I understand that the 25-foot minimum setback is still problematic for those who wish to landscape and spread fertilizer to the water’s edge. In light of this year’s drought and the potential for its continuation due to climate change, we should be discussing how we can protect and conserve our water, not how to tweek the rules.

Whether you have a McMansion on the lake or a nice little house in town, taking water for granted will have to end soon. And for those who still demand to do as they wish, well, a toxic algae bloom does little for summer fun at the lake. Water is essential for our existence and it is criminal to allow the practices of the past to continue. Wouldn’t you agree that polluting water is one of the dumbest things we could do?

The 25-foot setback is the least we can do and other enlightened areas require more of a setback. The waterways in Idaho are public property and we all share them so what property owners on our waterways do affects us all.

GREG TORLINE

Harrison