Professor Steven P. Erie in his recent book Beyond Chinatown: The Metropolitan Water District, Growth, and the Environment in Southern California (2006) portrays as paranoid San Diego's fear of being the first to have wholesale water supplies cut off in the event of a regional drought.
Erie’s book incessantly pooh-poohs the perspective of San Diego water officials that what they were fighting for was equal priority “water rights” from MWD’s system in the event of a regional drought or a political drought. As San Diego Water Authority General Manager Maureen Stapleton is aptly quoted in the book, a drought is defined as “when you find out who has the water rights and who doesn’t.”
The moment of truth as to who has priority water rights has apparently arrived with the recent shut down on water supplies from Northern California via the California Aqueduct due to a environmental court order over vanishing smelt fish in the Bay Delta. Erie's paranoia thesis is not holding water. North San Diego County farmers are being noticed to expect water cutbacks later this year. So much for Professor Erie's prognostication powers. See excerpt of article below:
North County farmers bracing for water cutbacks (excerpt)
North County Times
NORTH COUNTY -- Farmers across North County and their water suppliers said Monday they are beginning to prepare for water cutbacks this coming winter, in what one water official said could be the beginning of a "long-term shift" in North County's water resources.
Local water officials said they were dusting off plans that could put month-by-month caps on agricultural customers' water use and penalties for exceeding the caps.
"We are doubling our prayer efforts for a wet winter," said Chuck Badger, a lemon and orange grower in the Encinitas/Rancho Santa Fe area and president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau.
Supply reductions of at least 30 percent, compared with a still-undetermined reference year, could go into effect in January, barring exceptional weather before then.
The official call for cuts from Southern California's main water supplier, the Metropolitan Water District, is not expected until August or September, local water officials said.
See full article here: p://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/06/26/news/top_stories/1_01_296_25_07.txt
Water woes and foes; high volume end users of drinking water who control the spigot to make commodity products.
What happened to common sense, why make Paint with drinking water when Class A recycled water is a suitable alternate.
When will we canvass the industrial end users potential contribution to sustainable practices. Maybe we should consider restructuring the commodity costing of water if its simply viewed as an insignificant cost to goods by these businesses.
Lets get a handle on that spigot and make a choice at http://www.vitabrewcoffee.com/water.html
Posted by: Edward Mugits | September 08, 2007 at 04:45 PM
Water woes and foes; high volume end users of drinking water who control the spigot to make commodity products.
What happened to common sense, why make Paint with drinking water when Class A recycled water is a suitable alternate.
When will we canvass the industrial end users potential contribution to sustainable practices. Maybe we should consider restructuring the commodity costing of water if its simply viewed as an insignificant cost to goods by these businesses.
Lets get a handle on that spigot and make a choice at http://www.vitabrewcoffee.com/water.html
Posted by: Edward Mugits | September 08, 2007 at 04:46 PM
Water woes and foes; high volume end users of drinking water who control the spigot to make commodity products.
What happened to common sense, why make Paint with drinking water when Class A recycled water is a suitable alternate.
When will we canvass the industrial end users potential contribution to sustainable practices. Maybe we should consider restructuring the commodity costing of water if its simply viewed as an insignificant cost to goods by these businesses.
Lets get a handle on that spigot and make a choice at http://www.vitabrewcoffee.com/water.html
Posted by: Edward Mugits | September 08, 2007 at 04:46 PM