You’re Giving Me A Wah-Wah

Why do watering bans make little sense?

We have a watering ban in our county. I’d be willing to bet if you have a watering ban, it makes at least little to no sense.

Ours is such that between the hours 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. we are allowed to water on our day. If our house number ends in 0 or 1, we get to water on Mondays, 2-3 waters on Tuesdays and so on.

Nobody gets to water on the weekends. How does that make sense?

The timing of the ban, 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., is supposed to eliminate water evaporating from the sun in the heat of the day. In Florida, it may be a good idea from May until September, but I submit that October through April, people need to be able to water during daylight.

Specifically for those who have jobs and those who don’t.

If there truly is a water shortage, then why aren’t they choosing a number of gallons per person or per household and turning our water off when we’ve reached our monthly limit? That’s what I would expect if I were worried about a water shortage.

But I believe there isn’t, as referenced by a recent SmartPlanet interview with Susan Leal, former general manager of San Fran’s Public Utilities Commission, where she coauthored a book with Harvard professor Peter Rogers. Leal said at both the beginning and the end of the article, “There has been the same amount of water on the Earth since the beginning of time.” She said it twice, ostensibly to make her point that there is an increasing amount of people on Earth so there are more of us to use up this resource.

I say she involuntarily made my point: that the amount of water hasn’t been impacted by people; that it, in fact, evaporates and forms clouds and precipitates, replenishing itself.

I say:

… rainy areas becoming drier and drier areas becoming wetter is nature keeping things in balance, not human-inspired global warming.

… today’s recycling is not the end all and be all of saving the planet.

… going green and slapping on bumper stickers, or buying carbon credits, is not doing what you think it’s doing. It might not be making you a saver of the planet or even of your own life.

… things need to be investigated further; reading something in print or online does not make it real: You need to find reliable sources, ones that share your opinions and ones that challenge your opinions.

Further reading:
http://www.smartplanet.com/business/blog/smart-takes/why-were-running-out-of-water/11164/