Plan to Save Water Shouldn’t Be Used to Deny People Homes
It was interesting to read Phillip Weissburg’s letter (Letters to the Times, April 29) in which he blames the current water shortage on the fact that Orange County Supervisors have not made any attempt to slow the growth in South County. The writer then urges Supervisor Thomas F. Riley to “offer a law to provide for an immediate building moratorium as they have in Santa Barbara County, until the problem passes.”
Weissburg conveniently fails to mention the severe water problem, far worse than anything we have in Orange County, that Santa Barbara is suffering from now. Weissburg apparently does not know or chooses to ignore the fact that Santa Barbara has tried to restrict growth by limiting water supply. Sadly, this policy of limiting water supply has resulted in the crisis that Santa Barbara is now facing.
It would be very instructive to Weissburg if he were to read the article in the Opinion Section of the Times by William Kahrl, entitled “Water, Water Everywhere . . . (April 29)” in which Kahrl points out that only about 4% of all water deliveries are being used in homes.
There are many ways in which water can be conserved but using it as a weapon to deprive Californians of home ownership should not be one of them.
ZAC SIDAWI
Costa Mesa
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