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<br />1326
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<br />U.5.NEWS
<br />
<br />The drought of 1988 is scorching the West, making water-supply
<br />problems worse. Even if it rains. though, there are troubles
<br />_nationwide as communities battle each other for a precious resource
<br />
<br />First vOlleys of
<br />new water wars
<br />
<br />
<br />Dry relerVOlr in CalUornla's
<br />Santa Cruz Mountains
<br />
<br />. In the We<>l. Mark Tw"in quipped.
<br />"whi..ky i~ for drinkin', Waler i.. for
<br />lighlln.... The drought of 1988 is pronng
<br />his poinl with a \<engt"ance by intensifymg
<br />a lung....immrring competition for ,>,-aler.
<br />Shortages are pilling neighbor again..,
<br />Ileighbor. city folk against farmers and
<br />Slatc agamst Male. Longstanding ways of
<br />dislnbutlllg waler arc being ch:)Jkngc:d.
<br />and Ihne is evidence aplenty Ihat in somc
<br />af(~as. consumption restrictions. higher
<br />pricc<;, even ......aler police" will b<<om~
<br />regular features of Iif~ unlt...s communi.
<br />ties find better wa}'\ of
<br />managing theIr \upplies_
<br />JU\t how \e....ere the
<br />drought will be is In dis-
<br />pute. \1,'hllctheNatlOnal
<br />e\\.."eather Ser....ice IS \Oft-
<br />lcdaltng the thr~at,
<br />many local forecasters
<br />prcdll.:t a dry \ummer in
<br />the We<.t, the S"orthern
<br />Plams and The SouTh-
<br />eas!. One predlcllon is
<br />\afe: E....en In areas
<br />where rainfall i\ normat,
<br />the water wars will
<br />wor\("n as populations
<br />(trow but supplies re-
<br />malO the \ame. And the
<br />federal go...ernment
<br />can't re\pond to Ihe<oc
<br />"new \\oatcr realities"_
<br />a\ Richard Lamm, for-
<br />mcr Colorado glwcrnor,
<br />l'all.. Them-by building
<br />dam\. There are few
<br />\uitable ri....er\ lefl to
<br />l.hm, and a phalanx of
<br />en....lronmentali\ts guards thO\r;' that are.
<br />Moreover, on Capllol Hill, the pork
<br />barrel is empty. "'n the '+Os, '50s and
<br />'60s, the (ompetllion w:h Iloho could
<br />bring home the mo,t pork or pour the
<br />mo\t concrete. In the '70<; and '80<;, the
<br />competillon is who can \3""( Ihe most
<br />moncy." \:I)'\ John Lawrence, l<lp aide to
<br />Repre..enlati\l~ George .\11I1er (D-Calif.),
<br />.neOflhe....o..t.c\'n'>(;lllus lawmakers wriT.
<br />ng water poll<':Y now ThIS month, the
<br />Hou,e Appropriation.. C(lmmillCe con.
<br />founded old-timr;'r\ by d<.'ktlng evcry l'ent
<br />from thr;' IQilQ budgel fOf new dams,
<br />h<lrbor, and irrlgatllln projects.
<br />
<br />20
<br />
<br />Even the Dep<lrtmenl of the InTerior's
<br />E1ureau of ReclamatIon-proud buildu
<br />ofS8.7 billion ofirrig<ltion projects a....ross
<br />Iht:: West since I'~02-is leaving the con-
<br />struction busrness. ~1o<.t of lIs ht::adquar.
<br />ten staff is m(wing from Washington to
<br />Denver next month, and it will as\ume a
<br />more te<.:hnical role-helping communi-
<br />ties Ot::ller m~nage tht::lr water. Says the
<br />bureau's Joe Hall: "Our principal task rn
<br />this era is to make beller u,e of the
<br />re;oU(ces w~ do have."
<br />It\notjustthefeds but all water users
<br />who need to make beller
<br />use of supplies. "The
<br />problem is nOI a lack of
<br />waler but a lack of ...i-
<br />sion," argues Da"'ld
<br />Getches, Unm:rsity of
<br />Colorado law professor.
<br />Beller water manage.
<br />menl will lake- many
<br />form\. The most com-
<br />mun is conser"'a'ion. In
<br />LO\ Angeb, property
<br />owners ha...e been or-
<br />derl-d to In,!all water-
<br />sa...ing de"'ICl...on tOIlets
<br />and \howcrs. In San
<br />Francl","o, waTer is being
<br />rationed fO CUI usage by
<br />25 percent. In Sacra-
<br />mento, "water police"
<br />go 10 home-. looking for
<br />lawns 100 green, O\'er-
<br />flowing gullers and oth-
<br />er signs oflloaste. GIl-'in-
<br />ncll County offiCials in
<br />\uburban Atlanta, one
<br />of the country's fa'te..l.
<br />growing areas, ha...e stoppt::d de...'elopment
<br />for lack of waTer. and-sewer capaClly.
<br />Concern on lhaHudson_ E...en Sew York
<br />City i\ starting 10 get serious about l'on-
<br />sening Ilo:lter. Nexl month, the elly will
<br />..tart installing re<.idential water meter\-
<br />a move Ihal will penalile water Iloa\ters
<br />.... ho before had lillle ineenti...~ 10 con.
<br />WB'C. ,\1ayor Ed....'ard Ku<,;h has ap.
<br />pro...("d a plan, wntlen by a ta,k foree \et
<br />up after the se...ere drought in 19R~-1I5, fO
<br />Increa\t:: the city\ wafer ,uppl) oy draw_
<br />ing up to 2 billion gallons a day from lhe
<br />/lud\un RI\'cr-much 10 the COIK'ern of
<br />('uuntie\ UpSfreJm. Dull'he<.,> Count)' Ex-
<br />
<br />~:r
<br />II II
<br />I
<br />
<br />:~j"""'_' 'c."'" ~_. .'..,.;.;.>'.-..'l'f....",..:.. """.,\~
<br />~"."..t":'..,. ,...'..,.........,'~~-'.l'... ' .....,. W..
<br />;. .......);r." . ~ , '._-"'.., '1,",,<_~" .'..~
<br />. ~: PRAY fOR RAIN: The 9O-day forecast calls
<br />:::..:.i-v'/".... _ _
<br />'.- l' 17_69 r----
<br />..;....:,.~ r..., lS.t4,~) IT-
<br />. J/'---~\~-
<br />'~~-:::~-J _,_ __::
<br />. . .
<br />. !
<br />Sacramento- '10.33 /
<br />,
<br />"I 4.80 ..:..
<br />,I. ..
<br />liJ~
<br />'\. lo> .
<br />.. ~!-ng_e!~~ ~ j..,,_,
<br />':a~- - !~~~I
<br />._----~
<br />(January 10 May). in inches _ .f--..."
<br />Jt-- ,
<br />,/No~ma" 1 Actual --7 1:1' .,
<br />/ '
<br />Chanees 01 rainfall
<br />(May through July, 19a6) 'I
<br />.J Aoo...e normal .
<br />, Normal !
<br />lilt Below Normal
<br />
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<br />_L
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<br />
<br />Clashes over water
<br />
<br />
<br />Waler scarClhes are a problem no longer
<br />conrmad 10 the West. E...erywhere. new
<br />demands ha...e set 011 emotional ballles.
<br />
<br />II
<br />
<br />:1
<br />
<br />. thrtJItr.tam..-all: IntOflorSeClQlary
<br />Donatd Hodel suggests drallllllg tne Helch
<br />Hetchy ReservOIr 10 restof9tha spectacutar
<br />lWln of YosemIte Valley. But enYlronment_
<br />conscIOUs San FranCiscans are SQulrm,ng:
<br />The reservo", supplies lhe Cllis pnShne
<br />walet and ,s a source 01 electriC power.
<br />
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<br />11
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<br />,
<br />
<br />. hutllll' ClIUllln/., Los Angeles needs
<br />WOller. So the MetrOPOI<tan Walor D'slncl 01
<br />SOuThern Callrom,a wanlS to pay to. iI
<br />cancrele +'"'"9 ollhe earthen AIl-Amellcan
<br />Canal, whIch caffles waler trom the Colorado
<br />R,ve, 10 me tmpeflat Valley In raluln. th& CIty
<br />wanls the walar saved, Talk!. have ,>talied,
<br />and Congrass may actIo torca The deal.
<br />
<br />US NEWS & W()RlO REPORT. May 30, '966
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