INC NEWS - stopping growth and conservation measures

Mon Dec 31 14:47:04 EST 2007

Somewhere I saw that Durham's computers can't cope with a conservation pricing model.  And some people will find it hard to cut their usage (not big lawns to water and lots of diapers to wash, for example) even if they can't afford to pay more (why I think we should look into Atlanta's program of helping those in need with their water bills).  

The Comprehensive Plan looked at the long-term need for water and essentially said "No worry."  What went wrong there?

Getting water from wells is not necessarily the answer since I don't think we would have deep enough wells to "mine ancient water" like they do in Kansas with the Ogalla aquifer (spelling?) so all the water sources are connected 

Regards, pat> Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2007 03:31:58 -0500> From: randy at 27beverly.com> To: inc-list at durhaminc.org> Subject: INC NEWS - stopping growth and conservation measures> > While stopping growth sounds like a good idea, it doesn't make cents.> Forget the water for a moment, it's a temporary thing and the first time> such a shortage has ever happened. It's not because we're growing at such> a fast pace the amount of water can't keep up with it. We've just been> through one of the worst droughts on record, so there's bound to be a> water shortage. Why? Because there has been no water coming from the sky.> I see it as a wake up call. Now we know it can happen, we can work to fix> it. There's plenty of water out there, it's just not in the right places.> Just envision a pipeline from the coast and think about how much water is> there. It's all just a temporary problem. Other areas of our planet are in> much greater need for water then we will ever be. Just fixing the leaking> water pipes (earlier this year) would have given us a additional month> even in this drought. raising the dam at Lake Mickie (in elevation) would> add an enormous amount of volume to our supply. Connecting the region> would do the same thing. Then water becomes a regional concern instead of> just for one community. And if it were to rain for a month, we'd all> forget that we ever had a shortage and normal use/waste (I bet) would> return. That's where conservation comes in.> > What we should begin to do immediately is to implement a conservation> model for water use. Use less, pay less. It's a known fact that hitting> the pocketbooks of users for whatever service leads them to conserve. And> it rewards those who practice conservation even if there is plenty of> water to go around. We have to come up with a different model that allows> our City to continue to collect/plan for expansion and repairs. As it is> now, with revenues on a decline, the additional funding will have to come> from somewhere. Any guess where that'll be? Us of course. All the bills> are paid by us. That's why there has to be a new revenue model initiated> in order to balance the funding formulas. I read today that there was a> surplus of $70M in the water fund account. That sounds like a big number,> but that's only 700,000 feet. According to the same article, we have> 881,000+ feet of aged, leaking pipes to replace. So that's not even enough> to fix what we need to fix...> > We need to continue to grow our tax base. No growth means higher taxes.> Just this week figures were released that placed NC eighth on the fastest> growing states (by population). People are going to continue to come, so> they'll all need a place to live. That is, if we want our regional economy> to continue to flourish. And growth in our neck of the woods means the> companies here are growing or new ones are moving here. Stopping growth,> stops growth. And growth is a good thing. The other side of the coin from> growth is a bad place to be. Look around the country in the larger cities> where the economy is depressed. That's a bad place to be right now...> > I don't see us running out of water. With every rain, we get more. And> with this being the slow season for water use, it gives the City time to> legislate what we can do and not do with the water we do have. In other> parts of the country, they make people with pools and irrigation systems> install wells (instead of using the city-treated drinking water). Both of> those ideas, used in other cities, make sense. And I'm sure there are> more. We're not the first city to have a water shortage. What the others> did when they came to this same bridge holds some better ways in which to> deal with it in the future.> > If you're not collecting the rain water we get, then that's one step you> can take today to aid your the use of water. Every time it rains (even a> little bit), the barrels fill back up. They're all running over now, so> what spills out will make its way downstream to our empty reservoirs. When> I need it, I have around 325 gal. (soon to be 450+) at my disposal. It's> such a simple thing to do. I'd be curious to know how many people on this> list use rain barrels. Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. All> conservation begins with you.> > RWP> 27 Beverly> > > > _______________________________________________> INC-list mailing list> INC-list at rtpnet.org> http://lists.deltaforce.net/mailman/listinfo/inc-list
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