Water Use Comes Down to Money

The ultimate solution to water problems in Arizona will relate to money.  For example, charges for water in any dwelling, at least in Jerome, AZ, is charged according to the number of residents.

Use is not metered and – lacking meters –per person is the only practical method.  (Rumor has it that meters were purchased but subsequently stolen for their brass content – ironic in a billion-dollar copper camp.)

Water use is apparently governed only by pipe circumference and pressure, averages and the guesses of city administrators of what each of us will use to shower, shave, flush toilets, etc.

The question begs, “Can we conserve?” Of course.  The ways and means are obvious.

But, where’s the benefit?  If I conserve water, who cares?. . .My water bill won’t change.

While Jerome is irrelevant to the wider concerns of water use in Arizona, the problem persists for the majority of the state.

The Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) struggles along without budget or teeth.  People still refer to “sustained safe use”, the state still seeks development and, realistically, there isn’t a developer with a buck and a dream who can’t demonstrate the probability of a 100-year’s sustainable supply.   

Without minimal charges for essential, personal use and rapidly escalating ones for discretionary use, a luxury tax if you will, sustainable water use will remain elusive.

Socialized Water Resources

Owning water resources in the desert is a novel idea, especially moving water such as rivers and streams.

The fact that litigation regarding various water "rights" has been stalled in Arizona courts for decades might lead anyone to the conclusion that water can't really be owned. . .at least not comfortably. . . and not in the sense that Arizona law seems to dictate.

The law is currently based on a "first use" concept.

Unfortunately, water is valuable in the Southwest because of its scarcity and attracts people who would try to own it -- and sell it.

What emerges is a suspicion that water, like the air, is a public commodity...that water may belong to everyone and should be handled that way.

If water is privately owned, on the other hand, the delivery of it is accomplished for a profit motive, not from the perspective that it is a resource necessary for living. Money is the motivator, at least on the supply side.

The current concept stretches the credulity of private ownership. I'd suggest, as an alternative, that all water resources be governed by a Public Utilities Commission that sets rates for consumers. And profit levels for suppliers.

What does a Public Utilities Commission do? It governs the utilities that gather, purify, treat, and deliver water to its customers. At least in that way water resources would be in a public trust and administrators would handle it for the public good.

Does this mean socialized water?

Of course...and, with "public" ownership comes equal distribution of the resource itself. If it belongs to everyone, a water resource manager could ensure that it is distributed more or less equally around the state.

That Water Resource Manager might operate from a measurable inventory of water resources or, at minimum, a rough idea of how much water exists. . . at least surface water.

There might be two provisos; 1. The resource not be irreparably depleted by use, and 2. Upstream uses not reduce downstream availability.

There could be a per capita allocation and possibly a cap-and-trade system for those who have wells.

Per capita? density limits? Look out your backdoor. The desert sets density limits of its own...and the limits aren't generous.


See also: http://www.verdevalleynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=109&SubSectionID=1079&ArticleID=34886&TM=1900.609

This Is the Way It Used To Be

Northern Arizona has been paralyzed by rain and snow for several days.  Driving is treacherous through the hills and banked hair-pins of the roads and mountains.

My neighbor, Katie, remarked with a smile and obvious enthusiasm,  “This is the way it used to be.”  Katie Lee is 90 yrs old and has been out here for 50 years. 

Her perspective is invaluable either as an environmental commentator or harbinger of things to come.  Precipitation is at record or near-yearly record levels in this area, but her thoughts should give us pause.

Ought we to think of our soggy environment as temporal or should we think that this variable desert environment will settle back to its usual drought conditions? 

In simple terms, is this the way it will be or should we suspect that the snow plows will soon no longer have reason to cruise the roads?

Can we trust that our water glasses will fill in the future? I’m betting that the conditions that formed the gullies and arroyos we see today as dry, will remain dry in the future.  I think Katie does, also.

That’s just the way of a desert.


See Also, http://www.verdevalleynews.com/main.asp?SectionID=109&SubSectionID=1079&ArticleID=34886&TM=77690.2