the image AWI chooses to project does not match reality

This perspective is the result of a meeting with Ms. Jacobs – Executive Director of AWI and includes her comment to my email to her following that meeting….

Greetings Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Graf…

I do want to again express my gratitude to each of you for making time to meet with me and Mr. Wallenberg to discuss the mission of AWI respecting the myriad of water issues facing Arizona citizens.

As you will note from this page I have “excerpted” a portion of your AWI brochure and on the following page “excerpted” portions of your web site.

I have no doubt each of you, you Ms. Jacobs in the capacity of Executive Director and you, Mr. Graf, in the capacity as the ADEQ liason to AWI, is performing your job function pursuant to the direction imparted to you by your Board of Directors and Executive committee. In reading and evaluating the information you provided to me, it is readily apparent the emphasis of AWI is to consistently consciously promote the public belief there will be a “supply” of water available to Arizona to pursue the economic belief of our current Governor, our Legislature, and the “sponsors” of AWI. The list of sponsors – initial partners & members of AWI – reads like Arizona’s corporate “who’s who” as well as incorporating all the “buzz” names associated with a number of the environmental movements in our State.


Introduction ….Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and The University of Arizona have formed a partnership that will position the state as a world leader in water resources management and technology. The primary driver for this initiative is sustaining Arizona's water supply, which is crucial to the state's economy, the health and well-being of its residents, and its natural environment. …. For more background and additional information on AWI (including focus and mission)
AWI Announces Research Projects Funded for FY08 - click here for press release
Arizona Water website is your one-stop information center for water in Arizona. This integrated network of searchable databases includes water expertise, degree programs, and research efforts at all three state universities, and local, state, federal, and tribal organizations and associations and partnerships with responsibilities for water. You can also search for reports and data on water information for specific areas of the state. Arizona Water website
Well data in Arizona from ADWR's GWSI database is now accessible over the internet thanks to a new Web application developed by SAHRA click here
For additional information on other events, please see the calendar
 February 4-5 - "Climate Change Adaptation for Water Managers" Conference, Biosphere II, Tucson
 February 12 - AWI Water and Energy Conservation Workshop, Biosphere II, Tucson
 February 15 - High Desert Gardening Conference, Sierra Vista
 February 19 - Water Education Foundation Board meeting, Sacramento CA
 February 21 - Binational Institute for Water and Renewable Energy Workshop, Phoenix
 March 6 - Department of Hydrology and Water Resources, University of Arizona - "18th Annual el Dia del Agua", Tucson
 March 7 - Yale Club Luncheon - "Drought, Climate Change and Water Supply in the Southwest, Tucson
 April 3-4 - Arthur M. Sackler Colloquim of the National Academy of Sciences presents - "Linking Knowledge with Action for Sustainable Development by Michael Crow, President, Arizona State University"
 April 28-30 - University of Texas at Austin - "Climate Change Impacts on Water Availability: Implications for Texas" conference, Austin TX
 April 30 - May 2 - Arizona Water and Pollution Control Association 2008 Annual Conference, Mesa
 June 24 - Water Resources Research Center at the University of Arizona and Central Arizona Project Conference on Colorado River/CAP Water Issues

As I studied this information you provided to me, I could not help but wonder why the following names are not prominently displayed as your partners and members. Names like, Ms. Abbott, from Alpine, Mr. Baker from Bisbee, Ms. Collette from Cornville, Mr. Drake from Douglas, Ms. Ester, from Eager, Mr. Fine from Fredonia and the remaining letters of the alphabet representing John Q. Public citizens of Arizona.

AWI enjoys the good fortune to have the ear of the Governor’s office, prominent corporate stakeholders, like APS, SRP, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (formerly Phelps/Dodge), Intel. This is not a membership group poised to determine how water can and will benefit the “little-people” as these players are among those with designs on “controlling” access to as well as the “use of” any form of water in Arizona.

There is from the information you provided to me, absolutely no indication AWI has the least bit of interest in the quandary of the users of residential onsite wastewater systems in Arizona as your ADEQ liaison indicates this only amounts at best to 20% of the water consumption in our State. When queried it was noted this 20% is a grossly misleading figure as many parts of our State onsite wastewater comprise 100% of the water.

I must confess to a bit of envy as in the 33 years I have been engaged in the “onsite” industry in Arizona, it has been impossible to get the legislature or any sitting Governor to take an active role in addressing the dilemma facing the users of onsite residential wastewater systems in our State. Whereas, AWI has certainly found ace$$ to legislature and the funding needed to produce a cornucopia of $tudie$ all $anctioned by Arizona’s three universities to $upport the prevailing politically correct economic belief in “un$u$tainable” growth.

As I review the AWI calendar of events, it is difficult to find any conclave which overtly addresses in any manner any aspect of residential onsite wastewater. Nor do any of the studies funded by AWI to have any direct relation to defining, analyzing, evaluating or solving any residential onsite issue.

The AWI mission is yet another publicly funded “good-old-boy” commission dedicated to preserving the “$tatus-quo” of its membership at the expense, if necessary of John Q. Public. I need to own, I find it more than a bit dishonest the manner in which AWI chooses to present itself to the public. AWI does NOT speak from an open and honest platform as AWI totally disregards, discounts, dismisses the influence residential onsite wastewater systems have on all of Arizona’s water.






Feeding at the
public hog troughMoreover, AWI does not indicate that its “$takeholder$” are some of the very players, movers and shakers in the game to - PRIVITIZE - all forms of water and wastewater in our city, county, state.

These corporate and regulatory bureaucrats are for the most part joined at the hip and essentially feed from the same trough provided by the taxpayers.


Without question AWI is cleverly conceived, strongly backed by advocates who are in the main strong advocates of “corporate-for-profit-free-enterprise-can-do-it-better” mindset.
Again the Arizona taxpayer – John Q Public – has been denied a seat at the negotiating table and the door has been summarily shut on him yet again.




IN SUMMARY ………….



When I view the current water dilemma facing Arizona through the lens of John Q. Public in the final analysis it’s our – yours and my – own damn fault. We long ago for reasons I do not comprehend chose to take our eye off the ball and grant to “others” the rightful accountability and responsibility which belongs solely to us.



If “we” are looking for the “enemy” we found him … it is us… Until or unless “we” – that’s you and me – choose to accept personal accountability and responsibility, the water we are provided will be that which generate$ profit for corporate owner$.

We do need to understand there is risk associated with any action as we can't look to existing government to assist us as they are the problem, not the solution.

We need to affirm the rightful and lawful intrinsic power which is ours and judiciously grant it only to those who with our direct oversight will exercise that responsibility in an honest manner for the benefit of the many.
If, I, you, me, us, “we” are looking for someone to provide the solutions, “we” need look no further than the reflection in our mirror.


P.S. …. I offer each of you, Ms. Jacobs and Mr. Graf, the opportunity to make any comment or point out any errors in the writing I present to you before I send it to my email list for their consideration. I am currently intending to forward this to my email list during the week of 9 March 08.

Respectfully submitted,

-----Original Message-----
From: kjacobs@hwr.arizona.edu [mailto:kjacobs@hwr.arizona.edu]
Sent: Sunday, March 02, 2008 4:32 PM
To: Paul F Miller
Cc: cgg@azdeq.gov
Subject: Re:

Paul,
I am disappointed that you choose to ignore the offers that we made to work with you on projects of mutual interest, and to attack us via email a second time.
For your information, I missed my daughter's first high school softball game in order to meet with you. I would appreciate a little more courtesy, but perhaps that is not an option.

Kathy

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Greetings Ms. Jacobs:

It appears to me in order for folks to work together there needs to be some initial starting point. The publicly funded organization of which you are the Executive Director according to you and your ADEQ liaison does not currently have any projects of any nature affiliated with issues or concerns representative of those affecting the "little-people" of Arizona. Extending an offer to work on projects of mutual interests suggests your organization has an honest interest in those issues which affect the "little-people," which again none of your current or past projects suggest is where the interest of your "stakeholder" constituents truly is...? I did not ignore any legitimate offer to work on any issue of mutual interest your organization never chose to provide the foundation for any bona-fide offer for consideration.

I am disappointed you choose to see any statement respecting the legitimate interest of your "stakeholders" as an attack. I can from an emotional perspective, see how it is difficult for you to paint to the public that AWI is honestly a "gatekeeper" for the interests of all the citizens of Arizona, when AWI mission is sanctioned by some of the largest private water users in our state. AWI is certainly not wrong or bad, but it certainly does not present itself honestly concerning its relative interest in the water dilemma facing Arizona.

I am thankful for your making time to meet with me, however, to suggest I was the cause for your choice respecting your daughter's athletic contest is I believe quite unwarranted. But, seeing that you need someone to blame, lay it on me...