The Foreseeable

Heber Taylor has a great editorial in today's Daily News.  Titled "What does it take to solve the big problems?", it lays out what he alleges as the following Perfect Storm-style factors that are conspiring to put League City at increased risk of future water shortages:

• Water is a finite resource.
• Every political entity in Texas wants its share.
• League City does not have sufficient inflow to meet demand projections.
• Neither do we have sufficient interim storage.
• We can't afford to issue bonds at high enough levels to participate in regional water infrastructure.
• The resolutional momentum that finally commenced under Jahns and Oller is now at risk due to their near-simultaneous departure and resultant uncertainty regarding our ability to attract the kind of engineering talent that it takes to really work this kind of problem. 

It is the unfortunate downside of editorial commentary that one must take assertions at face value.  For instance, based on the information provided, I can't evaluate how much merit there is to the suggestion that we cannot finance sufficient bonds.  But even with these potentially-debatable points, Heber's message merits consideration, and the situation is worth monitoring both politically and technically.  My ears are open to hear what newly-elected Councilman Dennis OKeeffe in particular will have to say about this issue.  He's a geoscientist, so he should be capable of understanding the types of big pictures that may prove elusive to persons whose education is less technically-oriented.

In reading Heber's manifesto this morning, I could not help but experience the words of controversial Austin mega-developer Gary Bradley echoing in my head (paraphrased):

"[Every other challenge that arises during suburban development] I can handle, but I can't make water.  Water is a God thing."

That quote is from the film "The Unforeseen", Laura Dunn's stunning achievement in balanced investigative journalism.   Most documentaries are pure propaganda pieces intentionally developed to cement opinion on one side of an issue or the other, usually according to the tired old American stereotypes of "liberal" and "conservative".  Such films very predictably martyr their own while vilifying the opposition.  Far more meaningful and instructive is the unexpected and profound gut-wrench that one experiences when one realizes that opposing viewpoints are BOTH valid.  That's what Ms. Dunn achieved with "The Unforeseen", which I consider to be by far the finest film of its type that I've ever witnessed.  If you're interested, you can watch its trailer here: