Vulnerable resource

The funny thing about water is that no one thinks about it until there isn’t any. Whether the city’s plan to meter water usage and charge accordingly or Ted Cox’s suggestion in last week’s SN&R that people “kill” their lawns to save water, one thing is for sure: We can always count on Sacramentans to scream bloody murder about their right to all the water they want.

“We live at the confluence of two rivers,” they’ll say. “We have all the water we need.”

How about you take a bucket down to one of those rivers and haul up some water to drink? Or maybe chat with an Australian who has spent the last decade with a timer on the shower and a bucket to catch the runoff?

Whether it’s the threat of drought or the work required to make it safe for drinking, cooking and showering, water is a big deal. Water is a shared resource, not just in California, but on the planet. If we take more than we absolutely need, it means there will be less for everyone else downstream.

So set a timer on your shower. Consider killing your lawn (or at least cutting back on how much space you dedicate to it). Let governments know that commercial water users need to conserve as well. And bear in mind that water is one of the more vulnerable resources on the planet. We have an obligation to conserve it.