Your cover story, “Pipe Dreams,” says
water always moves to the big money in the cities (HCN, 8/4/03:
Pipe Dreams). So does everything else. It’s the way the
system works, but it’s not just. Why is it so difficult for
the West to install a democratic water distribution system? Because
the country doesn’t have a democratic economic
system.
The West’s political economy needs to say:
You want to live in the desert, fine. Then pay for what you use.
Bryan Burke’s great concept of Land Use Unit Days, laid out
in his letter in the Aug. 4 issue, can be adapted to Water Use Unit
Days, or WUUDs.
Water would be assigned by a hierarchy of
uses: the greatest benefit for the greatest number of people with
intelligent uses, and only for applications unsolvable by any other
than water means. Drinking and bathing obviously are uppermost.
Convert the toilets to compost or electric incineration.
Water-use pricing must be adjusted to family size. A reasonable
amount for each person at a low price, sharply increased for
additional use, overuse or misuse. You would get so many WUUDs per
person. If you wanted to forego your bath so you could wash your
car, it would be your choice — though you had best discuss
your preferences beforehand with the people who ride with you.
Families with teenagers might need to put programmable locks on the
shower.
Farmers must be required to conform to the same
standard instead of growing stupid crops like sod for Las Vegas.
Why should they be allowed? Because there’s a market for it?
That reveals what markets really are: totally unequal, for sale to
the highest bidder regardless of integrity of purpose or use. This
is not democracy or decency. A system that can’t handle
selectivity needs be sent along with the water sewage to the
nearest sewer plant and shut down.
James
Whiteside
Danbury, Connecticut
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline A little democracy in our water?.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
