NRD at it again

Dear Editor,

The Middle Republican Natural Resources District is at it again. Last year, they wanted to put on a 400-gallon-per-person limit on water use. That was later changed to 600-gallon-per- person-limit. Now, in all of their wisdom, they have decided that no individual in their district can drill a well for water.

These elected representatives of the people have decided that the people who elected them aren't smart enough to know when they need a well, so they are just not going to allow it. Oh, if you read what they say, they say, "Gee, we'll let you drill a water well to replace the one that just went bad in the middle of 100-degree heat. And you can drill a well that pumps 50 gallons a minute or less. See how nice we are?"

Of course -- they haven't mentioned how much paperwork you, the person who voted for them, will have to fill out before you can drill that replacement well to water your cows or your family. In other words, you -- the person who elected them --will have to go to them and plead for "the right" to drill a water well on your land.

Isn't that nice?

They didn't say how long it will be before they "approve" your well-drilling activities. So, while you wait for them to tell you that you can drill a well, just what is it you are supposed to do for water? I guess you can "borrow" some water from your neighbor to water your family or your livestock. But look at the bright side they will keep you -- the person who voted for them -- from squandering our most precious resource -- water we use for all these stupid things, such as bathing, washing our clothes and dishes, brushing our teeth, and -- that biggest waste of all -- getting a drink. After all, we can always go buy a bottle of water to quench our thirst, can't we?

Is it "our" water or does it "belong" to our elected representatives, as they claim? If the water in the MRNRD does in fact belong to our elected representatives, then they can tell us how often we can have a drink, when we can take a bath, when we can brush our teeth -- or maybe they will just decide that we can't use any water for anything. After all, they seem to know what is best for us.

Sincerely,

F. L. Nicholson

Lebanon