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Location: Granite Falls, North Carolina, United States

I'm an ordained United Methodist minister no longer pastoring churches, a former media producer with skills ten years out of date, a writer trying to sell my first novel, and a sales associate keeping body and soul together working for the People's Republic of Corporate America. I'm married to the most wonderful woman in the world, who was my best friend for 17 years before we married.

Friday, November 30, 2007

On the Drought

We here are in the midst of the worst drought in memory. At least in my memory. My father spoke of "those two dry years" in the 1930s, but I don't know if they were drier than now or not.

But it is awfully dry here.

Meanwhile, Texas had some devastating floods this year while we were crying for rain. So a thought struck me: Why can't we set up a system to pipe water from where there is too much to where there is not enough?

The Air Force tried cloud seeding during Vietnam, and it was disastrous. But what about a pipeline?

We have an electrical grid that sends electric power around the country wherever the demand is. Why can't we figure out a way to do that with water?

We could set up a series of pipelines that run from reservoirs where there is plenty of water and to spare and send it to wherever there is a drought or the danger of one.

As one who has been opposing the water transfer from the Catawba River to Concord and Kannapolis this seems a radical departure. But if we were able to draw from the flooded regions, where they don't want the water and use it here where there isn't enough, then that wouldn't exactly be the same thing.

You see, there may come a time when there is too much water here, and instead of suffering a flood we could send it to other dry areas. But we can't just rob this place to send water to a hotel in Concord that wants to set up a water park for its guests. That's a whole different animal.

A water grid. Think about it.

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