Mock Water

The local political visionaries are desperately looking for water now that the cupboard is running very low because of the state’s historic drought. Years ago, they figured out that a walk a mile or so west was the solution to Santa Barbara’s water needs for decades — the Pacific Ocean. Thus, the city built a desalination plan. Later, the council voted to dismantled and close down the desalination plant, hoping, perhaps, that the rain gods or a string of El Niños or both would meet S.B.’s water needs.

The state is now in panic mode, and the S.B. City Council finally concluded that it will have to pay millions to go back and tap the ocean, again. Clear the cobwebs and restart the desal plant. Cost to taxpayers — $55 million.

I am surprised that the City Council didn’t hire a guy with a wishbone-shaped tree limb to look for water before agreeing to reopen the desal plant, or send the issue to a committee to study, or hire a consultant to point to the obvious.

The Indy‘s article states: “With or without rain, declared Mayor Helene Schneider, desalinated water will have to become part of the city’s supply portfolio. ‘This drought will end one day,’ she said. ‘But there will be another drought another day.’”

Wow, the Clairvoyant-in-Chief just gave us a glimpse into our future.