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Show community piKcomments... You have to feel either a little guilty, or a little smug when you see the dozens of rainbirds pumping gallons of precious water on Moab's City Park, school lawns and playgrounds. The greening of Moab has certainly not been hampered this year by a lack of water. That makes Moab unique among cities and communities all over the west. In our neighboring communities in San Juan County, rationing is down to 50 gallons of water per day per person, and that probably won't do the job. In Grand Junction, residents are already limited to a few hours of watering a few days a week, and that is pretty much the story all over Utah and Colorado. Major resorts in Utah boasting rolling green golf courses are going to have problems keeping their greens green. With the connection of the big Corbin Well to the city's water system last week, we should have ample water for the summer. Of course, City crews will need to be mindful that in the past few summers, pump problems have caused short periods when limiting water use was necessary, and TJiat could very well 1 happen again this year. Mechanical things it often seems - are made to fail when you most need them, and pumps have been a continual problem in Moab. But the overall view is good. Moab went through its indoctrination by fire during the uranium boom years of 1950. And it was an experience most of us who were here then won't soon forget. Lawns and gardens were planted each spring, with residents hopeful that they would survive to maturity. That rarely happened, as a burgeoning community kept taxing each new water improvement past its limits. It took a long time to get out of that box. Now, with stopgap measures completed for this year, and planning well underway for utilization of a state assistance loan as a long-range solution to culinary water problems, Moab should be in pretty good shape, drought or no drought. Maybe smug or guilty aren't good words. Maybe thankful is a better one. -sjt- I wasn't particularly upset by President Jimm; Carter's energy message last week. In fact, I thought i was a pretty good set of goals, with a pretty courageou: group of steDS outlined to reach those goals. And while I don't particularly agree with all thi steps outlined by the freshman president, I sincerely hope that Congress will complete all of it! steam-blowing in the next week or two and set aboui passing the energy program as quickly as humanl possible. This nation, as I have opined many times in this column, has dceparately needed a national energj policy for five years. And all we have gotten out ol Washington is wing-flapping and lip service. Jimmy's plan, I feel, has a good chance ol producing the desired results, if it is adopted in it. entirety. If too much delay is allowed, however between announcement of the plan and adoption, it wil be picked to pieces by the vultures representing specia interests, and we will be left with a seven-headec monster worse than the status quo. Congress could do a lot worse than letting th Democratic majority have its way with token oppositior and get on with other important Issues. 8jt (Miiii..1.nitiiiiiiintiiiiiiiiiiiniliiinttriiflmiii(i!iiiii(mniNriiiiiiHirmMrt n .... |