Water occupies a central role in the desert city of Phoenix. The city is criss-crossed with canals and public spaces are dominated by either water fountains or water misters off the commercial buildings.
Phoenix is possible as a major metropolis by the cheap water supplied by the Colorado River. There is a small river that runs through Phoenix, and was the reason for it being established initially, but it was with the engineering from the Hoover Dam that the whole US South West became a viable human urban habitat.
Golf course in Mesa, AZ
Golf course in Mesa, AZIt rained in Phoenix today. It occurs infrequently enough that I had to look at the column stalk to work out how to use my wipers. Ironically when I first came to Phoenix in 1999 it rained then too.
Todays rain was bemoaned by the Phoenician natives as being totally out of season and more like the monsoons of August. Sydneysiders would not be fish out of water in the local culture here; or most of Australia for that matter. Phoenix's culture is heavily sun drenched and dependent upon easy access to water to drink and swim in. (reply)
Todays rain was bemoaned by the Phoenician natives as being totally out of season and more like the monsoons of August. Sydneysiders would not be fish out of water in the local culture here; or most of Australia for that matter. Phoenix's culture is heavily sun drenched and dependent upon easy access to water to drink and swim in. (reply)A company in Arizona wanted to pump Arizonan water across the state border to a new development in Southern Nevada. Both states are water scarce states, in fact the whole US South-West is in permanent water scarcity.
An administrative law judge has recommended that the transfer of water be denied [pdf]. IIRC from what I heard on the radio this morning, there is some 1970s law which has never been used before which stops that kind of water transfer. The local Arizonan residents are concerned as the water is from an aquifer and they are worried it would leave their wells dry. (more)
There has been a gas pipeblast in Mexico which local rebels have claimed responsibility for. These are examples of John Robb's global guerillas. Because the cost of warfare has decreased so much, the heavily centralised political, urban and economic structures are unnecessarily exposed to shock and delivery failure. Energy is one of those susceptible systems. (more)
When Canberra cherry-picks responsibilities from the states it is anti-federalism. When the states take from the local councils there is no real name for it other than centralisation. Tasmanian Councils are defending their authority and responsibility over sewerage and water. It is a familiar pattern, a crisis appears, and a central authority uses that crisis or emergency to covet new powers. It has been a dominant force in Australian politics. (more)
Labor has been in government in Queensland since 1998. So any discussion of the Beattie government's policies on water come with the caveat that they have had eight years to put policies in place. The Labor policies on water cover increased water for outdoor use and statewide approaches to infrastructure.
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The Queensland National's have their
state policy platform [pdf]
up on their website. Like most of the Australian party platforms it is fairly reasonable and often at odds with their media presence and party stereotype. Their water policies caught my eye.
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Well, with a Queensland Election coming up, the two (and a half) major parties are competing to see who can propose the most extravagant, inefficient, centrally planned dam in the stupidest places. I was starting to despair of finding anyone pushing a conservative solution that respected property rights and promoted individual water responsibility. This morning I found out a party promoting such a policy. The blasted Greens. (more)
