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The solution is conservation on the part of the people. Period.
Re-assesing our priorities is a must.
I grew up in a small town in northern Arizona. We had to haul water by the 500 gallon tank(s) to our home as did the 100 or so other families that lived there.
We did not have 1/2 acre lots of green grass or swimming pools that needed emptying every week nor did we wash our cars weekly or take two showers a day. We learned fast how to conserve and actually stay clean with water left over for plants, gardens and god forbid, a fire.

Considering the fact that most, if not all of these homes used wood and wood burning stoves for our only source of heat (yes this was in the 1980's not 1880's) we seldom had house fires. One took care with what they had when they actually had to work for it. In order to burn wood all winter long we needed to cut wood all summer long, and lots of it.
I crinch when I see sprinklers on full blast during a rain storm. Where I live today is a far cry different than my simple yet beautiful child hood home. I wouldn't have dared to turn the sink on full blast to rinse a glass out three or four times, or leave the water running for 5 minutes while I brushed my teeth, because I was there driving the truck to the water tower, putting in the money for each gallon and making sure I got it all home saftely. Funny thing, I still do not don't leave the water running today even though I live in a 'basin'/ valley full of it.
It seems that when we work for things or actually see how things work, we take special care. We did not plant flowers or gardens that were not condusive to the environment requiring more of the environment than was possible or even sensible. The water that we used to was dishes (by hand) was used for outside plants etc. Showers and baths were for cleaning not a vacation and catching our own rain water in barrels was a must for the animals and other yard neccessities.
Drought has been looming for a very long time. In our state we have commercials that come on once in a while that say "Slow the flow", but no one does and no one will until the tap goes dry. They simply will not stop until the hose is empty and then they will demand an answer, never considering the time they left the sprinkler on all night long as it ran down the street to the storm drain. They will demand and start water wars, never asking how they contributed to the problem. As it is right now, our state runs fresh mountain water all through the valley and then straigaht into the Great Salt lake. Yes, millions of gallons of fresh clean water run right into the biggest saltiest lake in the nation. The same salt lake that no one can purify if we needed to. I watch it run right by my house...only to wonder how many people will be screaming to have it back in about 4 years.
Every problem we have, started with 'the people' and every solution we have start with 'the people'. It's not always a matter of how MUCH MORE we can DO, how much more we need to ADD OR CREATE or how many things we have to start...but simply how many things can we just STOP doing and stop taking for granted. For a generation that wants to 'have it all'....I think we can say now, that we have.

Learn more about this author, Patty Musgrove.
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