The Last Straw
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Joan Downey’s letter, “Stop Building During Drought,” Jan. 29, reminded me of a speaker I heard from the Simi Valley Water District. He gave this analogy:
Think of the Owens Valley (where we get much of our water) as a large glass of water. Nature fills up the glass with rain and snowmelt. Each of us as
citizens of Southern California are given a straw. We each sip water as we need or want it. Nature doesn’t fill up the glass as much as she had been doing in the past. But, we all keep sipping.
And, by continuing to build more developments, more and more straws are going into the glass. So, those who have been doing their darndest by conserving are fighting an uphill battle, because the more they conserve, the more water is available, so that city governments think more straws can be added to the glass.
There is such a thing as “over-saturation.” That can apply to water, but right now we are over-saturated with development.
YVONNE DiFRANCESCO
Moorpark
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