permaculture

[Marimike6@cs.com]

In a message dated 11/28/2003 11:06:12 AM Eastern Standard Time, genest@pivot.net writes:

I don't think rainwater detention's going to be a big
>solution for most of us.

I think it has to be. Here in Montreal for example, the pipes are so
old and corroded that 40 % (!!) of the water is leaking out. In other
words, the costs of our water delivery systems are far beyond what it
costs an individual to turn on the tap. This pattern is endemic to most
big cities and reperesents a real sound argument for the privatizers to
come in, pay for the repairs and get control of our water supplies
which is when the real costs of water will hit directly home.

Claude--    You make a good point. Most large cities factor in the cost of replacing pipes and mains when they calculate their water rates. Thus if they have fifty year pipes they figure 1/50 of the cost to replace into every year's water bill. They make a plan to one day start replacing 1/50 of the system every year, using the money they've set aside.

Great system, huh? The only problem is that politicans see all that money just laying around and see much better uses for it than pipe replacement. Every year they seem to have some pressing problem in front of them and say Who's gonna know? One more year on these old pipes isn't going to hurt, right? So they steal ("borrow") the replacement fund.

After ninety or a hundred years of deferring the maintenance the whole system starts coming apart from traffic vibrations or tree roots, and the politicians get very excited-- because somebody may figure out that it was their fault. So they float a magnificent scheme to privatise the water supply, relying on the "magic of market mechanisms" to save the city. They try to look really progressive when they do this.

I've not heard of a city that didn't go this route, stealing the replacement budget every year. So if you can use roof water without getting lead poisoning from all the particulate matter in the urban environment, more power to you.

M. Elvin