We vacationed in Nevada County for three weeks in July and August 1977, the year of a major drought in California. There were water restrictions, no lawn watering and dead lawns were every where. My grandmother cut a hole in the wall of the laundry room to collect the wash water which she use to keep her trees alive during the drought.
The authorities used light aircraft to find people watering their lawns in Northern California. On the TV we saw people in LA washing their cars, the water running down the street. My grandmother Thomas was rare to show her anger, but those TV pictures pushed her over the edge.
Now we learn from Senator Sam Aanestad that Northern California's may be getting mad again real soon now. Here is the meat to his report: Robbing Peter’s Water to Fill Paul’s PoolWater Committee Report Mandates Conservation for Some but Not All
SACRAMENTO: Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) says there are serious problems with the Conference Committee Report that was issued by the Legislative Conference Committee on Water late last night. Senator Aanestad, who served on the committee, says the report is not only missing key Republican proposals for new water storage and a plan to transport additional supplies to water users – the tough conservation proposals spelled out in the report do not apply to all cities in California.
The conservation measures are spelled out in AB 49 – one of five measures that are included in the final Conference Committee Report. The measure, which mandates a 20% cut in water usage, applies to hundreds of water agencies except those that serve San Francisco, Los Angeles and Long Beach. According to a Placer County Water Agency analysis of AB 49, these three cities have a special exemption – and will only be required to implement conservation measures that cut water usage by a modest 5% by 2020.“This Conference Committee Report tells every water user in California they will face stiff penalties if they don’t adopt stringent water conservation measures, unless, that is, you live in certain politically favored areas of the state,” said Senator Aanestad. “It’s the kind of language that reinforces the public perception that this Legislature is dysfunctional.”
You think!
So the liberal cities get a legislative advantage over the rural conservative folks. We are just dumb hicks who should conserve, so the smarter city folks can have water for their swimming pools and car washes.
Pass the water!
