By
Jessica Lee
"Does the rent include any utilities?" I ask the stranger on the phone that could possibly be my new landlord.
"It sure does. We pay the water bills," he responds cheerfully.
As many of you already know, that basically means they pay jack - let's say, $8 a month.
This concept has been intriguing me for some time now. Why, in such an arid land are we basically getting water for free? After all, it seems we get more water from being spit on by California than by rainfall.
We are constantly blinded, deafened, beaten by, threatened, and tickled everyday by the need to save water. Bumper stickers, commercials, ads, billboards, and campaign posters try to brainwash those who leave the faucet on while they brush their teeth.
We all feel guilty, right?
All matters aside, Tucson is at the top of the U.S. charts for being a water sensitive city. We have been the bigger man between us and Phoenix. Desert landscape decorates a majority of our front yards rather than grass, and we learned that we don't each need our own swimming pools.
The citizens of Tucson incorporate their environmental ethics into their daily routines. It makes sense. We deserve a slap on the back.
Yet, in February this year, the City of Tucson passed a proposal to raise the price of water by 4.2 percent. From a business angle, it had to be done. We were conserving too well, and it was hurting Tucson Water's revenue. Charging more per gallon seemed the only way the industry could cover its operation costs.
A reluctant City Council voted 5-1 to increase the rates despite the cry from the Old Pueblo inhabitants who said they would be "penalizing people for conserving water."
Citizens' Water Advisory Committee Chairman James Riley said our "conservation isn't the only culprit in the need to raise rates. Summer rain is another."
And after our extensive winter storms, it seems La Nina is becoming expensive.
But, that's the irony. Although rates are increasing, it is not really going to make our water bills unbearable. What will it be then - around $8.34 a month? I pay more for lunch at the Fiddlee Fig.
Come on Tucson, it is not that bad!
According to a UA Department of Agriculture study, Tucson residents pay $1.87 per 100 cubic feet, or 748 gallons, of water. Our favorite neighbors in Phoenix only pay $1.17 for the same amount.
How about we use our frustrations to pressure Phoenix to cut back?
Some might argue it is because Tucson is the largest city in the country to be almost completely reliant on groundwater, that we have to conserve more. If we don't slow down pumping the aquifer, then subsidence will really sink our spirits.
Phoenix, on the other hand, uses the Central Arizona Project, as its crutch. Have you ever wondered why they keep their full canals visible to all the major highways? It is not to save money, but to trick the people of Phoenix into believing that we have a ungodly amount of water.
Don't you hate it when the government does that?
But, us water-conserving bastards here in Tucson have another thing up our sleeves. Starting May 3, we are going to start using our share of the CAP. Now that we have learned from our mistakes and can now deliver CAP efficiently and effectively to city residents, we now have a weapon.
Yep, we will be legally stealing from the Phoenicians water supply! It is a sweet hit below the belt.
Just like a missionary in a indigenous village, it is time to teach them the way.
Tucsonans are doing a fine job at saving water, and we are optimistic. And it is now the time and place to put pressure on the rest of the state to conserve our precious resource, and to drink up that half-empty glass of water.
