It’s been a while since my last blog post. I was on vacation in California because I heard their drought was terrible so I wanted to see it for myself. They’re screwed!
Maybe I’m exaggerating, but I didn’t get a sense of urgency from the people I observed. Specifically, I was in the Los Angeles area. Why do so many people with money move to that city if water is scarce there? Maybe it’s because they believe someone will solve the water crisis soon. I suppose that’s a possibility. But here’s a little news for everyone living there. YOU’RE LIVING IN A DESERT. The only reason so many people were able to move there in the first place is because Mr. Mulholland diverted a lot of water from other parts to the San Fernando Valley. And some say that he cheated people out of their water rights to get it done. I don’t know about that, but water is the key factor to population growth: especially in a desert.
I grew up in a desert. I still have water conservation habits even though I now live in North Carolina. I’m sensitive to wasted water. When I moved to Mesa, Arizona, I was appalled by all the residential communities with lakes and fountains. I don’t remember seeing much of that in Tucson. Water in the desert is a symbol of wealth and status so it gets flaunted. I’ve been told that less water is consumed by five families living on an acre of land than growing cotton on that same acre, but that doesn’t negate the facts that water is scarce in the desert and more people keep moving to the desert.
I talked to one person the other day who believes the film industry is leaving Hollywood (for tax reasons) and won’t come back because of the scarcity of water even though the state legislature is considering changing tax laws to favor the film industry. That’s hard to believe, simply because so many people are still investing in Southern California. From what I saw while I was on vacation, there is plenty of life left in Southern California. So much life that the freeways are overflowing with it! But that’s another matter for another blog entry.
For now, I just hope everyone in the L.A. area sets their mind toward water conservation.
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