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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 4:10:55 AM
From: kumar	Respond to of 541371

Anyone else out there have information on water issues?, I rent, landlord pays the water bills... not my problem...

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 4:16:36 AM
From: RMF	Respond to of 541371

Dale, you'll start hearing about it in a few months when it shows up in food prices. Our so-called "news media" doesn't report anything until it's already common knowledge in major parts of the country.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 4:16:54 AM
From: Snowshoe	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 541371

Here in Anchorage Alaska we have the best tasting municipal water in the country, and it's too cheap to meter. In Las Vegas they are ripping out lawns because they aren't allowed to water them anymore. Oh well, I guess it saves on lawn mowing.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 4:22:20 AM
From: Snowshoe	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541371

Another water issue: rapidly expanding ethanol production is consuming too much water... A thirsty fuel: With several plants coming, Minnesota could quadruple its ethanol output. But producing the alternative fuel requires a lot of water — not always available in the corn-rich southern part of the state. BY DENNIS LIEN Pioneer Press Open less than a year, the Granite Falls, Minn., ethanol plant already is looking for help to quench its thirst for water. So far, it has been pulling all it needs from an underground aquifer. But with supply dwindling, the plant wants to pipe its water from the nearby Minnesota River. That the Granite Falls Energy plant could run short of groundwater so soon illustrates a problem faced by a flurry of new and proposed ethanol plants that could quadruple annual ethanol production in Minnesota. Most have been built or are being proposed for south-central and southwestern Minnesota. While rich in the corn used to make the clean-burning, alternative fuel, those areas are short on another key ingredient — water. Moreover, that water isn't evenly distributed. [more] twincities.com

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 10:30:15 AM
From: Rambi	Respond to of 541371

Our city buys its water from Fort Worth, and it is expensive. The normal bill without extra usage runs about 50-- although we have a septic tank. If we hooked up to the city sewage, it would more than double the bill. During the summer, if we try to keep our lawn alive (we have an acre and a half, but we don't water the back acre) our bill goes up as high as 200 since the usage charge is tiered. We water as little as possible-- just enough to keep the neighborhood association from protest marching in front of our house. Our next place will be natural and require no mowing or water, but I admit it's not for noble environmental reasons. Hit people in the pocketbook. We are on restriction right now here. Water only every five days, and never during the day. I love when this happens since I feel our dead lawn just means we're zealous and law-abiding citizens.

To: Dale Baker who wrote (23013)	7/6/2006 1:24:43 PM
From: Jim S	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541371

"I have often wondered how many areas are getting close to overloading their water sources." Good for you, Dale. Now you've opened up an impending crisis that I can sign on to. While others are worried about too much CO2 and running out of energy, which have technological solutions, the shortage of water is real and current. It might be hard to explain that to people in flooded areas, but major aquifers across the country are dropping. Places that used to be irrigated by underground water are now finding restrictions on the amount of water they can use for crops. Severe restrictions have been in place for years for people who irrigate with surface water. Factories across the country are negotiating special deals with local governments to assure their water supply while the private citizens are being rationed and facing double or even triple water rates, plus fines for "wasting" water (sometimes defined as using more that triple their winter usage levels). Following the example of Las Angeles back in the 20s, some municipalities are trying to steal water from more rural areas, and the country folk aren't having it. Anyone who lives in the country and uses well water had better get his claim filed for water rights, or he will be out on his tail in a few years.