A Drop In The Bucket

Ahhh, another day of Raleigh-style leadership.  It's … good.  No trailblazing here, just a little movement in the right direction.  Hard on the heels of Gov. Easley's call for more water conservation, Raleigh City Manager Russell Allen announced that effective one week from today, the Cap City will be under a new version of Stage 1 restrictions.  No, not Stage 2, just a slightly more restrictive Stage 1.  Why?  "I personally think we've been right on target with our restrictions."  Thus spake Allen.  Well, let's see, water use hasn't diminished as much as expected under any of the previous versions of Stage 1, and the level of water in Falls Lake continues to drop.  In fact the N&O reports that the lake has "107 days' supply before the dirtiest water at the bottom of the lake will have to be tapped."  Yum!

The new, new Stage 1 restrictions will prohibit the use of sprinklers and nix car-washing at home.  Stage 2 would ban all outdoor watering and close car washes.  Now, no one loves a car wash more than yours truly, though I try not to be bourgeois about it, and I hate to see people lose work, but seriously, isn't it time?  North Carolina's Drought Management Advisory Council recommends that water users in areas of Exceptional Drought (that's us, people):

• Limit water usage to those uses that are essential to ensure public health and safety.
• Prepare for the likelihood of community water systems requiring water rationing."

I'm pretty sure neither hose-end irrigation nor car-washing are essential to public safety at this point.  I mean if the experts think we're looking at rationing, shouldn't we try to get in front of the issue now?  No, because that might require some cojones, and this town don't seem to have 'em.