Rose Bush from Jellinbah Garden
Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Scale Larger in Country
All the arguments to & fro regarding water, water usage, dam capacity, and future use in City affects those farmers close to cities here in  Australia, at least.  The squeeze has been put on in high production costs, interest rates & the actual need to make a living off the land after all these production cost are paid. Result has been, thousands move out, and land goes to urban use, farmer still not reimbursed for his/her labour & loss of livelihood.
So what, you say, Progress, that is all in the name of progress. What has this got to do with water. Well, if it don't rain, dam or crop does not get watered, plant or animal is not marketed, and farmer gets no production, sold up anyway.

City fella feel pretty hot this last summer, so He/She puts in one of those new fangled things called split system air conditioners. In every room, mind you.. Not just the bedroom or lounge, the kitchen [stove is emitting too much heat] dining room, got to be comfortable, lounge, kids bedroom, main bedroom etc. times how many people have the resources, or credit more likely, resulting in a great whooping need for more power!

That is exactly what happened in Brisbane, the great power, water,  & fuel guzzling city I have known, for its climate & closeness to business. Except, tens of  thousands travel from Ipswich, Sunshine Coast & the southern beaches, The Gold Coast, and from what I saw, each vehicle held one, the driver, heading to the metropolis for work, in the morning, and trekked back of an evening.

I read the online version of the Courier Mail, a Brisbane Paper that has a daily topic or three, for their blog they run. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail  if you are interested in perusing the latest issues.

Stone the Crows, I could have predicted what they would come up with next, “Taronga, & West bank, no it is called something else,Swanbank, near Ipswich, takes its water from the Bremer.
My brother has not been able to irrigate from a tributary of this river because the Moogara dam, which fed it for many years, as about 2% capacity, no chance of a run off.

Well, what was their prediction, these whopping big businesses will use so much of our precious water from Wivenhoe Dam, built just for us precious City Dwellers who have to be looked after, have their airconditoners, swimming pools, hook or by crook..

I rest my case…