water wars...

[curmugeon]

It seems that a new 'hot button' issue is on the scene, water. I live in
a desert, that is what Anza is, not a desert in the sense it is just
sand, but it is dry none the less. So far this year we have received 2.5
inches of precipitation, and that arrived last January. Normal for us is
at least 15 inches of rain. It is a drought year.

Now there is talk that climate change will bring us even more dry years,
till we become a desert as most imagine, dry, dusty, and without any
significant vegetation.

Also, there is a project of note. The City of Las Vegas and surrounding
communities have made the first move in stealing water from northern and
central Nevada. This so reminds me of the City of Los Angeles and the
Owens Valley saga. Will it happen? I hope not. What people in Los
Angeles and Las Vegas need to realize is they live in a desert. Deserts
do not have green grass or flowing rivers. Water is a luxury. As one
opponent of the Nevada project put it, 'crops or craps'.

Check out the following articles for a better feel of the problem. Water
is the next thing we will be fighting for.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10953190

http://www.nvgroundwaterproject.com/html/index.html

http://www.greatbasinwater.net/

http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/prog/planning/groundwater_projects/snwa_proj
ect.html