Allocating Water During Drought

For five years the politicians and bureaucrats of the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County have solved the water crisis by wringing their hands and talking about rationing.

Meanwhile, in Santa Barbara, a water desalinization plant will be ready next year and a private developer in Catalina will soon have a plant in operation, while in the Mideast both Arabs and Israelis have been drinking purified water from the sea for years.

Officials at the Department of Water and Power say it’s too expensive to build a plant here. However, it is not too expensive to charter airplanes or give themselves huge salary increases. It is obvious that with continued population growth we can’t depend on the snowpack and rain alone to take care of our water requirements. The politicians and bureaucrats need to stop talking and get moving. The time for using the water of the Pacific Ocean is now.

HAROLD ABRAMSON, Canoga Park