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Issue: Water
Date: September 24, 2004
Author: Ken Larsen
Dr. Ken Larsen, Personal Choice candidate for Governor, recently replied to
a citizen question about water. For those interested in Ken's position on
water issues, here is the essence of the question and answer:
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[Citizen]:
In researching the current ballot and the opinions of those running I ran
upon the Personal Choice Site and your name. After reading some of your
opponents' sites, one thing I could not find on your site was your Plan for
Water. I am a native Utahn Born and raised. I love visiting our lakes and
Reservoirs with my family and friends, and so water conservation and
management is of great interest to me. How do you plan to handle Water
conservation in Utah if you are elected Governor? Are you concerned about
how quickly our reservoirs are depleted each summer? Do you feel that
individual cities and county's should put in place and ENFORCE Laws about
water usage? if you could please respond to this email I would be greatly
appreciative.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
[Citizen]
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Ken Larsen:
Thank you, [Citizen], for your question. I am also native Utahn, born and
raised in Provo. I remember, as a child, catching buckets of Perch at Deer
Creek Reservoir with my family. Like you, I am concerned about the water
situation in our state. In spite of our mountains, much of our state is a
desert and water has always been limited. I believe water rights and the
rights to runoff from our mountain watersheds have been serious concerns
since the Mormons arrived in 1847. The tradition of water rights has been
similar to mineral rights and the claims of prospectors and miners. As
settlements became communities and cities, the rights to the water have been
carefully defined and guarded. As Governor, it will be important for me to
see that Utah's watersheds are protected from agriculture, mining,
recreation and any other development that might restrict the flow and
violate the rights of those living downstream. I am also interested in
possible federal re-evaluation of the unfair judgments on the distribution
of Colorado River waters. It should be decided on the basis of what is right
and fair, not who has the most political clout.
I do not believe the Constitution makes it the federal government's job to
force taxpayers in other states to assist Utah in moving our water around
for more efficient usage. Therefore, I have not and do not support the
Central Utah Project. I respect the right of cities to control water usage
through municipal ordinances. On the other hand, I also respect the right of
individuals to do as they choose with their water once they have purchased
it and it becomes their private property. Therefore, there needs to be a
balance in which both rights are considered. I see no reason why the sale of
water could not be subject to a limitation on usage, just as the sale of a
home can include protective covenants. Of course, I support the ideal of the
private enterprise system, in which prices are controlled by the laws of
supply and demand. I also understand that water has become a municipal
service and those economic laws cannot be strictly applied. Therefore, we
must watch carefully that prices and water usage rules are wisely applied in
ways that provide the most benefit to the most people, rather than
benefiting a special interest with political clout. As a member of the
Personal Choice Party, I will probably be better able to remain objective in
such political disputes.
As important as I believe it is to conserve our water and avoid waste, I see
no reason why we should not be using our water several times. Although we
have limited water resources, we have been blessed with vast amounts of
unused sunshine. I see no reason why a little imagination, cooperation and
wise investing could not result in solar distillation plants that recycle
the water from our lakes and rivers and even from our sewers. A properly
engineered plant could use sunshine to produce fresh water, cheap
electricity and sterile fertilizer, all with zero contamination of the
environment. Using sunshine to recycle our water will give us some growing
room, but eventually we will need to consider limiting our population growth
to keep our numbers within the carrying capacity of our environment. I don't
see that coming in this or the next generation, but now is the time to begin
to think of ways to slow or stop the increase in the number of humans who
will be using this limited resource. Of course, I would like to see the cost
of water delivery paid by the users, through their municipal and other
cooperative ventures. For example, I do not think the people in Southern
Utah should be forced, through taxation, to provide water to the residents
along the Wasatch Front.
Finally, I am not an expert and I do not expect to become one. As Governor,
I will find experts who can help me find ways to enhance and preserve our
water resources without violating the equal rights of our citizens or the
limitations in our State and Federal Constitutions.
I hope I have satisfied your question.
Ken Larsen, Candidate for
Governor
Personal Choice Party
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