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County in the DC area bans charity car washes


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http://wtop.com/139/3637929/Virginia-county-bans-charity-car-washes
 

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) -- Arlington is cracking down on charity carwashes under new state storm water permits that could also affect activity elsewhere.

 

The Washington Post (http://wapo.st/1qduWIZ ) reports Boy Scouts from Troop 162 in Arlington were planning a carwash fundraiser for a weeklong canoe trip this summer. But their scoutmaster heard about new regulations, and their plans changed.

 

Virginia and other states use permit programs to limit pollution flowing into storm water systems. Those permits have recently become more stringent due to Chesapeake Bay cleanup requirements.

 

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I think this is a good illustration of how we (generally speaking) all want clean air/water/etc, but at the same time are unwilling to make any kind of sacrifice in order for that to happen.

 

Or, to put it another way, if we don't want tar sand processing, fracking, more BP disasters (yeah you remember that one, the entire Gulf of Mexico is a toxic fuckin' soup now), or Fukushima (ditto most of the Pacific - enjoy that radioactive salmon, folks!) and on and on..

 

Anyway. We're (generally speaking) all against that stuff, until it looks like the price of a gallon of gas might go up.

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I think this is a good illustration of how we (generally speaking) all want clean air/water/etc, but at the same time are unwilling to make any kind of sacrifice in order for that to happen.

 

Or, to put it another way, if we don't want tar sand processing, fracking, more BP disasters (yeah you remember that one, the entire Gulf of Mexico is a toxic fuckin' soup now), or Fukushima (ditto most of the Pacific - enjoy that radioactive salmon, folks!) and on and on..

 

Anyway. We're (generally speaking) all against that stuff, until it looks like the price of a gallon of gas might go up.

 

I'm a little less worried about the price of gas than I am about the price of water and the availability of water.

 

We use 13.2 % less residentially we did in 1978.  Yet, the cost of water is still rising.  Large companies are purchasing water rights in various countries.  Water consumption in the US and a few other countries is not sustainable.  Our infrastructure is crumbling, water resources are dwindling, water usage for factory farms are increasing  and at the same time polluting the water table, etc...

 

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/economy/story/2012-09-27/water-rates-rising/57849626/1

 

Water costs getting more expensive

 

The trend toward higher bills is being driven by:

-- The cost of paying off the debt on bonds municipalities issue to fund expensive repairs or upgrades on aging water systems.

-- Increases in the cost of electricity, chemicals and fuel used to supply and treat water

-- Compliance with federal government clean-water mandates.

-- Rising pension and health care costs for water agency workers.

-- Increased security safeguards for water systems since the 9/11 terror attacks.

 

A 2010 report by the Water Research Foundation, a non-profit organization that studies drinking water issues, concluded that residential usage per customer dropped more than 380 gallons annually in the last 30 years, a changing era when conservation became more prevalent. Compounded over time, the report says the trend implies that a customer would have used 11,673 fewer gallons in 2008 than an identical customer in 1978, a 13.2% decline.

 

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Yeah, going forward, water scarcity is going to be a big deal here in the US and across the world. In the US, I predict it's going to start in places like Las Vegas (well, it's already started there) and Los Angeles. There are places all over the world where cities are located in an area where there's simply no or not enough water to sustain large populations of people and animals. For the life of me, I don't understand why the US doesn't HEAVILY invest in desalination plants to augment natural water supplies. Israel does so because it HAS to...we should do so BEFORE we HAVE to.

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