The Connector - Summer 2008 - (Page 7)

RWAU Summer 2008 President’s Message Doug W. Evans, Rural Water Board President Am I Warm Yet? L ast month, we spent a week in Washington D.C. at the National Rural Water Association Water Rally. I have had the opportunity to attend this important event several times in the past. It is a time when we report back to our congressional delegation on the progress we have made as an association and how we have wisely utilized the federal funds entrusted to us to assist our member water systems in their vital duties and responsibilities—a very worthy and rewarding effort to say the least. That said, I noticed something a little different on this trip—something that has been building over the last several years, and something I have not its annual flow volume, over a moving average, since the 1500s. The millions of dollars spent on this effort nationally, not to mention globally, are astonishing. It is and will be the global topic of the century. And I love science, so I tend to gravitate toward the efforts of this community. However, my best empirical evidence of change is how I am affected personally. And I was very cold this past winter. I shoveled endless amounts of snow; winter still had not come to an end as of the ides of May, and I am paying way, way too much for gas. So here’s the deal: for me, there is no warming. If fuel prices continue to sky rocket, I will only get colder and colder For me, there is no warming. If fuel prices continue to sky rocket, I will only get colder and colder over time, because I will be unable to pay my heating bill! afforded the close attention that I probably should have. This issue seems to be brought up or hinted at by almost every person, almost every museum display, and almost all governmental officials we talk to. And it is—of course—global warming. There, I said it. A great deal of scientific evidence has been amassed that demonstrates without question that there is a global climate change taking place (thank you, Al Gore). And, conversely, there has been a significant amount showing it is not taking place (thank you, Rush). In fact, just last week at our first water rights conference held in Layton, Jerry Olds, our State Engineer, presented the scientific evidence showing that the Colorado River has not changed over time, because I will be unable to pay my heating bill! Now, here is my theory: Politicians have decided to fight global warming by blaming almost everything on global warming (including the inability to pass a budget), thereby doing nothing about the price of fuel, making us turn down our thermostat and walk to work, which in turn makes us feel colder, as the world steadily gets warmer. This will, of course, increase our confidence in our government— that it is combating warming with a diplomatic and discreet cooling effort. We will read the science that says we are in fact warmer, but we will feel colder, and thus we will not believe science. We will stop encouraging our kids to go into science or technology fields 7 (they will work in the water/wastewater field), and our country will become less and less the brilliant super-power, encouraging China to be the world’s producer (and innovator), which will pollute more and more. All the while we will do nothing about fuel exploration, because we cannot drill in a cold place up north (I forgot the geographic acronym) because more fuel will mean more greenhouse gasses, and it will warm up the place up north (producing much more water), while I just get older and colder. Amid all of this confusion, we in the water world will have to work harder than ever to supply safe and plentiful water, in a drought (often of intelligence and funds) or wet cycle, whatever we (I mean, nature) determines it to be. But I am grateful for the Rural Water Association and all that they do, with the assistance of our partners in congress. If this makes no sense, I just wish our politicians would remember that God and nature will always outsmart our every move. (Remember the pumps on Great Salt Lake?) As Albert Einstein once said, “Before God, we are all equally wise—and equally foolish.” Am I getting warmer yet? Visit www.rwau.net/training for our 2008 Training Schedule The Connector http://www.rwau.net/training.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Connector - Summer 2008

The Connector - Summer 2008 Contents President's Message Executive Director's Comments Letters From Readers Legislative Update Rural Water News The Basics Shannon Rasmussen Sanitary Surveys - What to Expect: Part 1 Chuck Jeffs Tank Cleaning 101 Terry Smith Where in Utah?

The Connector - Summer 2008

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