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Show community comments... "When the well's run dry, we know the worth of water." Benjamin Franklin Probably th. most critical water shortage facing residents of Moab since the hectic 1950 uranium boom years has the community on rationing; has the city negotiating for additional supplies; and has the residents wondering If any of the town's lawns and gardens will make It through the summer. The shortage, and accompanying problems, are real. Wells that have traditionally been pumped are not producing, and other sources of ground water are not producing at expected rates. As one observer stated Wednesday, the City Is faced with not one, but two major problems. First, officials must find some way to get the community through th. next five or six weeks of extremely hot and expected dry weather. This can only be done with the fullest cooperation of all th. residents of the community, and naturally some minor hardships will be endured. The second, and probably the most important, problem to solve is one of long-range planning. There was little question in the minds of Moabltes this time last year that unless something drastic were done In the near future, the problems would continue to build. In the meantime, over a hundred new homes have been built; new businesses are under construction and more are planned. The community could easily undergo a twenty per cent Increase In growth this year and next year, and only crystal ball gazers can tell us what will come after that. More water much more water and considerably more storage must be obtained. , If that means tapping Mill Creek, the Colorado River, or the ! distant LaSal Mountains, then It must be done. Nothing will be done Inexpensively. And all the alternatives will require long-range planning and lead time. But th. time for decision-making Is now. Financing needed Improvements can be handled when the time comes. Moab was j able to finance its way out of the uranium boom problems, and it can do so again. sjt Sprees of vandalism involving breaking of windows and similar acts are not particularly new in Moab. The community has suffered through a number of such outbreaks in the past few years. Th. acts of th. past week, however, are different. They ( smack of the kind of terrorism we have come to expect in our worst large cities and in foreign countries where political unrest and revolution are as commonplace as the air they breathe. A public statement Issued by the Grand County Commission following their meeting here Tuesday needs all the emphasis it can get, and the full attention of the responsible residents of the community. The Commission statement was in full support of local law nforcement agencies and the courts. "We do not condone these actions taken following threatening phone calls made to the County Attorney and Police Chief." They called for greater public awareness of threats and slander currently being directed at local public officials, asking Moab citizens to join them in an effort to make the Individuals responsible for the vandalism and other wrong doings accountable for their actions. Continued strong law enforcement and vigorous prosecution war. called for by th. Commission. And commissioners urged anyone with any solid facts regarding this situation, or any other wrong-doing of any kind in Grand County, to present them at the Qrand Jury hearing to be held July 20 at the Courthouse at 2 p.m. sjt Over the last few years, Moab has traditionally been a quiet town come Fourth of July weekend, with many residents escaping to the cool of the mountains for a holiday respite frorr Moab's July heat. And despite the nationwide Bicentennial fanfare, Moab was again pretty quiet this year. However, one special Bicentennial event Was most notable during the day, and that was the ringing of bells at noon. During the two minutes, bells of higher and lower tones, and being rung at different rates made a delightfu counterpoint to one another, echoing across the valley with th sound that is to all Americans one of the basic sounds ol freedom. |