This is a copy of a letter that was sent to me from Tony Avent of PDN. I did not see it in any of the papers. I thought it would be of interest to some of you. Open Letter to the City of Raleigh I continue to await an article that correctly shows who is responsible for the current water shortage, but alas, no luck. Let’s look at the facts. Raleigh was 7.24" (17%) below normal for its annual rainfall in 2007. In 2006, Raleigh was 10.64" (25%) above normal in rainfall. For a two-year period, that put us well above average. Is this the first time we’ve had well below normal annual rainfall? Of course not. 2005, was nearly as dry as we ended that year 5.5" below normal. What did city officials do after that dry year? They continued to encourage growth, sell more water, and did nothing to increase future water supply. If you look at area lake levels, you will notice Gaston Lake and Kerr Lake are full. Jordan Lake is only down 8", while Falls Lake is 8.4' below normal and Lake Michie is 7.3' below normal. Why are the differences so dramatic...poor planning! Being a Raleigh native, I remember in 1981 when Falls and Jordan Lakes were completed and City officials assured us Raleigh and surrounding towns would never again face a water shortage or water restrictions. Fast forward 27+ years and residents are now being blamed for the current water shortage, and are being asked to change their lifestyle because City leaders didn’t properly do their job. Raleigh officials have oversold their supply of water while encouraging growth beyond their ability to supply water. Planning based on average rainfall forgets to take into account that averages are just that...averages of two extremes...below normal years and above normal years. Imagine a business the size of Raleigh or Durham making such an egregious error in planning. Such a lack of foresight and poor management would most certainly result in immediate dismissal of officers and board members, as it should. Any farmer will tell you the first thing to do in a drought is to clean the silt from your pond or lake, greatly enlarging your pool of available water. Since the 2002 drought, I have watched and waited for Raleigh and Durham to clean the silt from their water supplies, yet from driving by the lakes, this has still not been done. Without a doubt, it’s more difficult for a municipality, since they must work through the Army Corp of Engineers, and have the silt tested for contaminants, but surely this should have been put on the fast track after 2002. I’ve heard cost mentioned as a reason this didn’t occur, but that doesn’t pass the laugh test. Compared to the loss of revenue from water sales and the tax revenue being lost by affected businesses, this is false economics. Having driven by area lakes, the amount of silt...i.e. rich topsoil, in both lakes is huge, with its removal nearly doubling the water storage capacity. The financial investment of cleaning the lakes could be easily offset by selling the dredged topsoil to homeowners, landscapers, and developers. Instead, Raleigh leaders have opted to further punish homeowners and the green industry (nurseries, landscapers) businesses by outlawing hand watering. I keep waiting for these same leaders to require all restaurants to close or only use paper plates and cups. How about that long-awaited ban of drinking Aquifina water, which is pumped from Falls Lake? Yes, if the spigot to the Pepsi-Cola plant (Raleigh’s largest municipal customer) was shut off, the water savings would be tremendous. Instead, city leaders have chosen the easy path of punishing only the green industry...and now the power washing industry. All other industries are only asked to follow best management practices. It seems we need to clue the Council in that the green industry produces and sells a living product that cannot be installed without water. These are the same city leaders that require our plants to be used in the form of a mandatory landscape ordinance. Imagine the outrage if our esteemed leaders did something equally as bizarre and banned pet watering and bathing. To not allow any hand watering for the green industry is the same as forcing a non-water dependant business to close. Where’s the common sense? We’re all willing to do our part, but we are not willing to shoulder the entire burden for the city’s lack of planning. Let’s start by cutting off the water to these same city leaders that got us into this situation. Then, let’s rescind the hand-watering ban and please, let’s think before passing any more ridiculous regulations that put so many people out of business and residents out of work...shame, shame, shame! -Tony Avent As always, we thank you for your continued support and patronage. Please direct all replies and questions to office@plantdelights.com. Thanks and enjoy -tony -- Tony Avent Plant Delights Nursery @ Juniper Level Botanic Garden 9241 Sauls Road Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 USA Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F USDA Hardiness Zone 7b email tony@plantdelights.com website http://www.plantdelights.com phone 919 772-4794 fax 919 772-4752 "I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent
I like Tony. I still see people driving around with shiny cars? WTF? I've washed my car ONCE since moving here (Apex) last August. The neighbor washes his 3 cars every week. DH's truck hasn't been washed since we bought it. People just kill me. :?
And here is the email campaign letter that members of the Green Industry sent to the city council AND Meeker. Guess it fell on deaf ears, since the tighter water restrictions were imposed a few weeks later. Dear Raleigh City Councilperson, As the Drought worsens, it is becoming clear that most industry is facing no negative ramifications and our environment is suffering immeasurably. The “request” for industries to conserve water compared to the total ban of water use of property owners is sacrificing Nature. Trees, shrubs, flowers and grasses are NOT a luxury! They are our ultimate weapons in fighting pollution, erosion, and sedimentation. Withholding vital water from our existing plants and denying the installation of new ones is disastrous! The “City of Oaks” is suffering and it is the city's tree canopy that cools the environment up to fifteen degrees in the summer. If we don’t take care of our existing landscapes, we can forget ever complying with federal EPA air quality regulations as plants are our greatest asset in pollution control. As an elected official, it is your job to manage resources to the best and highest use. The present water restrictions are incredibly short sighted and you have the opportunity to do the right thing. Fix the infrastructure that wastes millions of gallons. Allow professional landscape installations and give property owners a 30 day variance with twice weekly watering after the 30 days. Demand that all industry do their part and cut water consumption by 15 percent. Raleigh deserves your leadership. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely,
And another one we sent - Dear Raleigh City Councilperson, I work in the Green Industry and we are the professionals who create and maintain our outdoor living spaces. The Water Restrictions being placed on homeowners' and building owners' ability to maintain and improve their landscape unfairly burdens my business. While other industries are being requested to cut back water consumption, the Green Industry is facing insurmountable losses in revenue, increasing layoffs and potential closing of businesses completely. The Green Industry generates $8.6 billion in economic benefit for North Carolina each year and employs more than 151,000 people. We do not ask for immunity from restrictions, but rather ask for fairness. Maintaining and improving our environment is NOT wasteful as plant material offers tremendous benefits. Plants stabilize soil, therefore minimizing erosion and run-off that clogs our natural waterways (and reservoirs). Plant material filters pollution, provides oxygen for us to breathe, cools the environment and provides ecological habitats for wildlife. Sacrificing the environment is not a solution! The Green Industry asks for the following reasonable changes: Allow homeowners a 30 day variance on new installations performed by Green Industry professionals. This includes plants, flowers, sod, seed and trees. After the 30 day period, we request twice a week use of water for irrigation. Open full access to hand watering and drip irrigation. The Green Industry has earned and deserves the support of decision makers by contributing substantially to the economy while protecting and improving our environment. We ask for your help so that we no longer bear the burden of water restrictions alone. Sincerely,
And the third one Dear Raleigh City Councilperson, The Green Industry in North Carolina is an $8.6 billion industry that employs more that 151,000 people.* I am a Green Industry business owner. Due to the exceptional drought we are experiencing, Green Industry businesses are suffering momentous losses. On average, Green Industry revenue is down 40% from a year ago due to the drought Green Industry layoffs are at 30% of the workforce as of Oct. 31, 2007 These numbers are going to increase as the drought and the effects continue. The Green Industry creates and maintains our outdoor living spaces. If consumers are not allowed to water, they do not purchase or install plants, flowers, trees or turf. They do not contract for lawn, arbor care, irrigation or landscape services. Therefore, the Green Industry grinds to a halt. We do not ask for immunity from water restrictions, but ask simply for fairness. Maintaining and improving our environment is NOT wasteful as plant material offers tremendous benefits such as minimizing erosion and run off that clogs our natural waterways (and reservoirs). Plants also filter pollution, provide oxygen for us to breathe, cool the environment and provide ecological habitats for wildlife. Sacrificing the environment is not a solution! We asks for the following reasonable changes: Allow homeowners a 30 day variance on new installations performed by Green Industry professionals. This includes plants, flowers, sod, seed and trees. After the 30 day period, we request twice a week use of water for irrigation. Open full access to hand watering and drip irrigation. The Green Industry has earned and deserves the support of decision makers by contributing substantially to the economy while protecting and improving our environment. We ask for your help so that we may protect our businesses, our employees and our families. Sincerely,
We get ours washed at Autobell - their signs say they recycle the water, but still have only gone about once a month - and then it will rain just a little and it looks like crap again :neutral:
