Water

A rather ominous reading in the Times- Standard yesterday suggests we need more regulation of groundwater. That might be true, but I'm not so sure it's as entirely unregulated as the editorial suggests.

I know just last week I was reminded by a customer that many homes in our neighborhood have wells. Or at least had them at one time, anyway. We have one in our back yard that used to have an electric pump attached to it. My customer has one of those old manual pumps over her well and she says it still works.

She told me you can use your well water but said something about having to get permission from, or report to, the city if you do. Anyone know anything about that? Besides, how would anyone know if I started pumping water from my well again?

Not that I'm going to try and steal groundwater. I'm just wonder how they would know?

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On a more upbeat note, the Los Angeles Times reports on efforts being made in Southern California to make the region more self sufficient in water. Neat ideas being thought of and taking place, but they do cost money. I especially like their attempts at rainwater storage. They point out that in the winter of 2004- 2005, enough water went into the Pacific Ocean from the Los Angeles River to supply the city for more than a year.

I don't know about drought conditions now but, seems to me, we usually get enough rain in the state for our needs, we just don't have enough places to store it.