Edwynn
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Joined: 10/26/2008
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~FR~
Sorry to intrude upon the crown/sovereignty/etc. thread, but ...
Rainwater does not just feed lakes and streams directly, it the source for all water reservoirs or collection areas in/on the earth's upper crust; the groundwater, the watershed areas, the underground streams and aquifers, etc. The majority of lakes and many streams are also fed and drained by underground sources where the two intersect. Some lakes are in areas with little rainfall and yet maintain relatively steady levels do to this underground source, which itself may originate from hundreds of miles away.
Lower lake levels during drought are due sometimes as much or more to the lower water table as to lack of direct input from rainwater. If some article states that rainwater collection cannot substantially affect what rainfall drains into lakes and streams directly, it misses the point as to the importance of the water table and aquifers (completely misleading readers in the process). The earth knows what it's doing; if only 3% of rainwater drains into lakes and streams, it's because the hydrological system obviously places greater importance on ground water and the complex sub-surface water systems below that. Only a few plants live off of lakes and streams directly, the majority relying upon ground water, which (like most lakes) is fed from below in the absence of rainfall.
In any case the whole rain/ground water/aquifer/surface reservoir (lakes) system is complex and can be significantly different from one region to another. In most areas it would seem likely that rainwater collection could not substantially affect the local hydrological system. But it's certainly possible that in some few areas this might not be the case, e.g. if rain is scarce and the water table is both lower and less well supplied, and other communities at a lower elevation are also dependent on what little there is. Only hydrologists, not politicians or opinion writers, can ascertain that situation properly.
Government 'ownership' of water, more accurately stated as government regulation of a public good, is nothing new. Additionally, look at the many historical and especially recent conflicts among states in the US for another aspect of 'government control' of water, these states fighting over which one has 'jurisdiction,' if you will.
http://www.google.com/search?q=US+states+water+feuds&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#q=US+states+water+feuds&hl=fr&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=6Up&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&prmd=ivns&ei=80WbTfj2LYSUtwfPqPXBBw&start=0&sa=N&fp=111975f7a6e1db45
And here's a look at the situation from a broader perspective:
http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/awr/dec99/Feature2.htm
But for those fearing and detesting government regulation of water, fear not. True ownership of water is coming to a town near you and, to great relief, not by the government!
T. Boone Pickens to the rescue:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/24410-t-boone-pickens-invests-in-water-should-you
We all know how well those big investor guys have done for society in the energy and financial sectors, no? Can't wait till they get a hold of this one; subsidies, tax credits, wildly fluctuating prices, bail outs, the whole lot, soon to follow. Viva la private sector!
That said, it truly does seem ridiculous to penalize people in urban and suburban areas for using a water source that is not taken from a lake or stream or well that reduces consumpton of municipal water, which is so inefficient in that it has to be treated to be safe for drinking (costing money) even though the larger part of usage is for other purposes.
< Message edited by Edwynn -- 4/5/2011 10:45:36 AM >
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RE: OZ,"the Crown reserves the right to manage thi... - 
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