drought snapshot bleak

Drought snapshot is bleak …
Help from El Niño hasn't materialized …
Shaun McKinnon … The Arizona Republic ..Jan. 5, 2007 12:00 AM …
In the battle between the forces of wet weather and dry, Arizona's drought is kicking El Niño's dawdling derriere.Snowpack in the state's mountains totals 38 percent of what it should be right now, with some of the poorest conditions on the Salt and Verde rivers, two significant sources of water for the Valley. Survey crews last week found less than 6 inches of snow at several locations, even less at others.Winter's first snapshot looks better than it did a year ago at this time, when the ground lay bare across much of the state, but experts expected more moisture once El Niño developed last fall in the equatorial Pacific. The oceanic weather maker so far has largely ignored Arizona, though forecasters late Thursday hinted at a change as early as next week.
On the Colorado River, which supplies the state with about one-third of its water each year, snow pack levels hover near normal, also a bit of a letdown after a series of storms last month walloped the Rocky Mountains. Most of the snow wound up on Denver's Front Range and points east, the wrong side for the river and the 26 million people it serves.

In the clutches of an extended long term drought Arizona continues to cling to its economic mantra of unrestricted growth.

Our state political leaders, city, county, state and federal owe their allegiance to “corporate” funding of their political career$ and certainly not to you.

Our leaders whom we sheepishly follow are mesmerized by the “power” they see attached to population growth enhancing their power ba$e.

Folks, and there are many, who have written scholarly evaluations, using only data publicly available and developed by your state agencies and regulators on Arizona’s water, some concluding that by 2040 there will be sufficient water in the Valley of the Sun (metropolitan Phoenix) to only support 2 million people, have been marginalized, minimized, ostracized, made the fool and butt of their jokes, while these same officials, regulators and politicians refuse to address or answer the questions they raise.

The pressure upon the water available in Arizona, today, tomorrow and in the near future is a discussion which your leaders choose to have behind closed doors away from your peering eyes and ears. It is the conversation of special “blue ribbon” committees and commissions appointed by your Governor, in which membership precludes your attendance and participation, while you foot the bill.

Where is the transparency … ? Why the need to deny “us” – that’s you and me - a seat at this table…? Is not our voice and positions of equal value …?

While not the only solution but a step in a path leading to extending and expanding “conversation” of our water, our Governor and your legislature could enact TODAY state-wide legislation which calls for all of the men’s urinals in schools, theaters, public buildings, airports, libraries, universities, roadside rest stops, parks, amusement parks and related structures to remove their current water type urinals and install “waterless” type urinals. Yes, this requires “we” – that’s you and me – support in some manner possibly via tax relief for the changeover and within a reasonable time frame of not to exceed five years. It’ doable all it takes to is “our” – voice and demand. It means we choose to give direction to our elected officials and demand they follow through on our demands.


“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.” - - Josh Billings