Last year by this time, our toilets were not filling properly. We knew we needed rain, but it took almost four months with no rain until finally, in October, the rains began.
This region is not a dry area. No one could remember such a long drought. When finally the rain began to fall, we felt like we could finally breathe. I stopped feeling guilty every time I had to flush a toilet. When you have a well and no connection to “city water,” a long drought is more than a little threatening. It can be a calamity from which you might never recover. When your well goes dry, you are in deep trouble and your insurance doesn’t cover the disaster. You are on your own.
Having a well doesn’t mean you “own” that water. Water in a watershed to which our wells are attached is shared by everyone. A lot people don’t understand the water they waste is also my water. We all need to work together. This is what I wanted to draw when I woke up and I wanted it to go along with Woodie Guthrie’s song.
This water was made for you and me. And truly it was. Is.
SERENDIPITY: SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
I have become even more water conscious since moving to Sisters Beach. I had friends in the Huon Valley who lived on tank water and one, who had teenage boys was always worrying about running out and having to buy more. While people in other parts of Australia have bores we just have rainwater tanks and if we run out we have to call the local water carrier who will come out with a tanker load and top you up. Of course that costs. Not so much the water, it comes from the town supply and I think 17,000 litres cost me about $60 last time. No, the expensive part is the cartage. That can cost around $300. Rain is always welcome.
I’ve no doubt that water will become an even greater issue. We have man towns in Australia that barely have any but there are also small Pacific islands who are in danger of being inundated by the sea if something is not done. Who is going to take those people when they become climate refugees?
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Hi Marilyn, we have a borehole and the concept about the water is the same as for your wells. People should not waste water, it is such a precious resource. I didn’t know Bruce Springsteen sang that song This land is your land.
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I didn’t know Springsteen sang it either until I found it while I was looking for the Woodie Guthrie original (which I didn’t find). But I think he did a good job with it.
Most people don’t understand that underground water is SHARED by everyone in the area. They really think they “own” the water because it comes out of their personal hole in the ground. I’ve tried repeatedly to explain the concept of “groundwater” to people who basically think in terms of sinks, faucets, toilets and showers and never really got a grip on where the water COMES FROM. They figure it’s their well and if they want to use 600 gallons to water their grounds and wash their cars, that’s their right. Humans can be very obtuse and awfully selfish.
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I think others think (??) that water is plentiful. They pay little attention to the dramatic changes we are seeing in our weather EVERYWHERE.
–glaciers melting in the artic
— heavy snow in Southern California
Duh?
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It’s no joke when you live in the country and need to be somewhat self sufficient. Heat; energy; water; even food. You can’t pop down to the store and get stuff. It’s nice to think you can sort of live ‘off the grid’ but …
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It’s pretty hard to live off the grid and few people — now OR in the past — ever did. That’s what communities were designed for.
Water is ALWAYS a shared resource. Countries have gone to war over water and with the way things are progressing (or, more to the point, NOT progressing), there will be many more wars over water and the use of it. ALL underground water is shared by definition. Water tables — saturated ground — is regional, not personal. So while you can decide it belongs to you, it doesn’t. So few people even understand where their water comes from — and that includes people who have wells and should know better.
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