Today I have been hob-nobbing in NYC. I had lunch with the
former commissioner for New York DEP (Department for Environmental Protection
(basically the ‘Thames Water of New York’). Lovely bloke. Knows all you would
ever want to know about the US public water sector. With him was one of
his colleagues, whom I shall call Andy (cos that’s his name). Andy was just as
knowledgeable but on the private water sector. Between them they were a
force to be reckoned with.
As I ploughed my way through my enormous pastrami-on-rye
sandwich (containing more meat than any sane person should eat in a month) I
felt I should be taking notes. Sadly only one key statement has stuck in my
mind. Before I share it you need to know that Andy is bald. Not completely bald,
but rather he has that baldness where the top of his head is hairless yet around
the edges he still has the virile fulsome growth that could put a teenager to
shame…if only it were across the whole of his head. It is the baldness pattern
that my grandfather had, my father has and I know I will have in a few short
years. My lucky, lucky sons will also no doubt enjoy it too (along with most of
the males on the planet).
As we started talking about the ongoing and ridiculously
severe drought in California Andy commented that actually there wasn’t really
that big a water shortage. He claims (and I guess he should know) that there is
plenty of water but it is just being used by the powerful agricultural sector.
He even talked of Californian rice paddies (photo attached). So what were his
words of wisdom? They were as follows, and you need to put on a strong NY accent
to get the full value:
‘There ain’t no water shortage in California. It’s like my
hairline. There is everything you need up there, it’s just all in the wrong
place’.
I almost choked.
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