October/November 2006

Water Markets /Water Wars And a small island called Arcata, California
Jim Tobin

Taking to the Streets to Raise Awareness of Global Warming
Bill McKibben

Interview with Bill McKibben
Meteor Blades

My Low-Carbon Diet
Seth Zuckerman

A Conversation with David Ward
Jody Woodruff

In Tune With the Sacred
Raina Hassan Sanderson

Democracy and the Middle Class
Thom Hartmann

The Great Turning From Empire to Earth Community
David Korten

The McKenzie River Gathering Foundation Turns 30
Richard Moeschl

Transformation Through Film
Marla Estes

Mixed Media Reviews
Debi Weiss

Cosmic Calendar
Salina Rain

BACK TO TOP

Water Markets, Water Wars
And a small island called Arcata, California.

By Jim Tobin

Nestled on the northern end of Humboldt Bay lies the small town of Arcata. There is a history of activism and citizen involvement witnessed by it’s Nuclear Free Zone Ordinance, its local ordinance promoting independent business and restricting corporate entrance, and even a resolution calling for the impeachment of the President of the United States. These types of stances are not contained in the typical portfolio of the average small town.

There is also a history of community and caring as witnessed by its Endeavor Program which is a much embattled outreach program to the poor and homeless, its bicycle library, its Arts Arcata Program providing music and art at local businesses, farmers markets, New World Ballet, and a continuing array of events too numerous to list in this article.

This is a place I now call home, and where a controversy has been building over a citizen generated ballot measure. A few years ago a debate over fluoridation of the city water supply resulted in a petition signing campaign and the creation of the Safe Water Measure, “Measure W,” which finally goes to ballot in November. The measure, which began as a debate about fluoride, has taken on a new face and expanded meaning over these few years although there are those who continue to remain immersed in the fluoride controversy for a multitude of reasons.

Measure W as written states two major points:

1) Any intentional additive placed into the municipal water supply must be properly tested for quality, content, and assurance that no contaminants are present.

2) The FDA must set the criteria for this safety testing in similar manner to the way they help protect the safety of the food we also ingest.

Most, it would seem, would find these two points reasonable and logical but the truth is far from such an assumption. With less than two months left before the vote the armed camps are developing. On the anti-measure side stand a consortium of dentists, doctors, a Republican Party official, county health officials, and most likely a lot of money in a comparative sense.

On the pro measure side are a few medical and dental professionals, a few local independent business owners, local citizen activists, and consequently a group with not much money.

What is supposed to be non-partisan is so only in illusion. The anti-measure group has granted fluoride the role of savior of the children, old folks, and the poor. They believe the decision to fluoridate the water supply from the 1950’s was a landmark decision and brand those in favor of the measure as conspiracy theorists, junk scientists, and assorted other personal slanders alluding to a lack of professional knowledge. Although higher taxes as a result of Measure W has not been claimed, the specter of such has been eluded to in the form of increased dental costs to the community caused by the loss of fluoridation.

Some supporters of the measure refer to their opponents as elitists and machine politic automatons with vested interests as their true goal.

Although at present the money and therefore the focus remains on the “F” word (fluoride) my eyes have been opened to a broader set of implications from reading the exact content and intent of this Safe Water Measure. The use or non-use of fluoride in any drinking water is a serious and important question. It will be decided on for Arcata as part of the Measure W ballot vote in November. The broad implications of this measure, however, have expanded over the past few years and they have raised another question: Can we afford not to have some type of citizen safety measure attached to the operations of our community’s water supply?

The administration of control and safety are rapidly becoming forefront issues with implications reaching far beyond the confines of our small community regardless of the outcome here in November—a “Water Market” is rapidly developing in the United States. In the arid and semi-arid Western States its effects are already present and easily seen if one attempts looking through a different set of eyes.

I have personally stood at the mighty Rio Grand River as it passes between El Paso Texas and Juarez Mexico and marveled at the fact that it is barely the size of a creek. The mouth of this river is reduced to a mud flat with a trickle of water, at best. Look at any map. Is this how the Rio Grand is depicted? What you see is what the Rio Grand once was. What you see isn’t there anymore.

I have also marveled at the situation existing in Denver, Colorado where less than two years ago they wrestled with a drought and water rationing while at the same time the Colorado River was being sold off for profit to out of state customers like Los Angeles at ten to fifteen times the cost paid by local sources.

Closer to home the Klamath River headwaters have been diverted with the use of a system of aqueducts that would rival the scope of ancient Rome—again, for profit. Ask local Native Americans who rely on this river for their life supply of water and their economy and one will rapidly see through their eyes the destruction downstream and the resulting damage that has been incurred for profit. Court battles are underway to regain what once would never have been considered to be in question—a community’s water supply which had, until now, been assumed for generations to belong to them.

To the south some three hundred miles is the City of San Francisco where their Water Rationing Plan (in case of shortage) refers to the homes and families as their “retail” customers and others not as detailed in explanation as “wholesale” customers. These two terms speak of varying levels of profit.

Corporate names like Monsanto, Bechtel, and GE are making entries into the water business—it was a Bechtel part-owned company and it’s massive price increases that reportedly contributed to the ouster of Bolivia’s previous president.

The question of who actually owns our water resources is being debated and on one side of this debate is privatization. You can be sure if multi-national corporations win control the value of water reserves will eventually exceed those of oil. With profit the prime directive of a corporation, many consider the value of water to be the same as any other “product” governed by the economic forces of supply and demand.

The term “Water Wars” has been coined as entities fight over control of this limited resource. Others say the government would not allow any such control but look again—when was the last time you saw this government regulate anything? It doesn’t seem to fit the Free Market model.

There is a huge difference between water and oil, natural gas, and even our forests—one could live without these other resources if he or she absolutely had to do so, we can survive for only about two weeks without water. Should this life essential fluid be a commodity controlled by corporations whose shareholders are required by law to receive profits gained from doing business?

Water is something we human beings must have to live and therefore have an inalienable right to. It is wrong to view its delivery to us as either profit or expense. It should be owned and distributed only by “we the people” for our very survival. This is the true value of water as apposed to the Free Market value of a commodity—and in this sense it is priceless.

As our cities become more and more budget strapped and tax revenues become more scarce, the threat of outsourcing management of municipal water supplies and perhaps even selling them becomes all too real. No longer can these claims be categorized as conspiracy theory.

The city of Baltimore, Maryland is learning this lesson in a troubled attempt at outsourcing its water supply management and there’s nothing pointing to them being the last to do so.

Arcata now relies on over two hundred thousand dollars per year in parking tickets as a meaningful part of its operating revenues. Who’s to say what the future holds in store—if it can happen in a major city it can happen in a small town.

A toe-hold Measure that gives citizen input into the regulation of any future additive to the municipal water supply, provides an updated evaluation of an additive currently existing in the water supply, and sets an established criteria for product quality and content regardless of source of supply be it the City, a Management Company contracted by the City or a private supplier, will be evaluated this November. It remains to be seen whether the implications of this particular Safe Water Initiative will be deemed the priority or whether the fear associated with the “F” Files will be believed.

Regardless of the outcome this November in Arcata, California the issue of who controls our water resources will have to be dealt with at some point by all communities. Arcata is already a winner by again being ahead of the curve as witnessed by the appearance of Measure W. on this November’s ballot.

Let’s hope more eyes are opened as a result of the activism of many citizen movements to, as the President has suggested, stop looking to the government for all the answers and take charge of ourselves. I believe this to be good advice. We the people need to take responsibility by getting a citizen-based safety initiative in place to protect our water quality and its security for all of our citizens, ensuring this safety, guaranteeing affordability, and preventing our water supplies from being turned into someone else’s means of profit and control.

Read the entire text of the proposed Safe Water Ordinance at www.arcatasafewater.org. Jim Tobin is a local business owner and resident of Arcata, California. Contact him at JTobin6921@aol.com