Friday, May 28, 2021
Hoover Dam a Mistake
The 20th century explosion of
cities and agriculture in the American southwest were based on a false sense of
security provided by Hoover Dam and its promise of an abundant water
supply. Water planning was based on climate studies of the
previous thirty years which turned out to be part of one of the three wettest
centuries in the past 1300 years. A deeper analysis would have shown that
since at least 900 AD, mega droughts lasting for up to a century had been the
norm rather than the exception. This gross overestimation of future
available water led to the current water crisis that may well plague the
southwest for the foreseeable future, even without the impacts of
climate change.
Sunday, May 16, 2021
The principal function of town government is to spend taxpayers’
money in ways that produce the best benefits for the most people. The Long
Beach projects fails on both counts. Had the town of Rockport never leased lots there in
the first place, that area would now be a natural resource that all in town
could enjoy. Look no farther than Good Harbor Beach to see what is lost at Long
Beach. Like Good Harbor Beach, Long Beach is a barrier beach backed by a salt
marsh. What is missing are the foredune and backdune areas that are prominent
features at Good Harbor. In their place are houses, fill, parking lots, and a
street that have no recreational or habitat value that could be enjoyed by
everyone in town.
Spending millions of dollars on the wall at a time when climate
change is projected to not only raise sea level but produce more intense and
frequent storms and hurricanes is money wasted. Hard choices must be made and
to set the precedent of once again bailing out oceanfront properties is the
opposite of what should be happening. The logical response is to do nothing and
let the ocean have its way with the wall and homes over the next few decades.
Destroyed or badly damaged houses should not be replaced or repaired and,
eventually, leases should not be renewed. As painful as this would be for the
homeowners, taxpayers should not have to pay for their protection indefinitely.
Long Beach, Rockport, MA
