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Sound the Alarm!

August 2007

Recently a friend of mine told me that I should tone things down. He’s concerned that my propensity to speak the truth loud and clear on the radio and in my writings may offend some people. But, I believe the truth is the truth whether or not we we’re willing to acknowledge it.

The only people offended by the truth are those too lily livered to deal with reality or those with some vested interest in the continuation of bad practices that will be revealed if the truth comes out. And, our recent record rainfall inspires me to speak out even more clearly.

Here’s a simple undeniable no-doubt-about-it truth. We all need a reliable supply of clean water. We can live about 3 minutes without oxygen, 3 days without water and 3 weeks without food. Actually, I should say we’d suffer through these periods of time because there is no quality of life without clean water.

Because the storm systems stalled over the middle of the country this spring, we were deluged and the east coast suffered an almost unheard of drought. The folks in Florida expect some rain every day. Few properties have irrigation systems. And, I can’t think of any place in Florida where they specialize in drought resistant landscapes.

And how did we react to our unexpected rainfall? I am appalled that several municipalities in North Texas have relaxed their water restrictions. Yes, the water in our reservoirs has risen to levels unseen for several years. But, how short sighted can you be?

Next year may be just as dry as the past three years. The only difference is that next year there will be more people drawing upon the same limited water resources. According to the US Census bureau, of cities with populations of a half million plus, Fort Worth is the fastest growing city in the US. And Dallas has grown by 20% since 2000. Those stats are for the cities proper. We all know that the suburban growth is gobbling up farm and ranch land at astounding rates.

Face it! We are spreading a limited amount of water over a rapidly increasing population. And the newer homes use higher than average amounts of water - less shade, almost universal automatic sprinkling systems and more swimming pools.

For out entire lives we have turned on the faucet with confidence that clean water would flow to meet our needs. Think about it. When is the last time we put another water source on line? Are there any others in the works?

Yes. I’m sounding the alarm. What can you do?

#1: Go organic. Never ever use synthetic fertilizers or chemical pesticides. They destroy the life and structure of the soil. That means more runoff from both rainfall and irrigation. And, when the water runs off synthetically fertilized properties, it carries seriously harmful pollutants into our waterways. Organically managed soils are more absorbent - retain more moisture thereby requiring less frequent irrigation.

#2: Urge your local officials to deal with reality. Call or email your local representatives with this message, "The long-term health of our region - both financial and human, is directly related to the quality and quantity of clean water. What are you doing to protect our current water resources and to secure new sources to meet the demands of our growing population?"

As a firefighter I’m trained to save lives and protect property. I take that responsibility very seriously. I have personally rescued 5 people from fiery deaths. But none of those rescues compares to the joy I feel when I convert someone to organics. I know that in the long run the cumulative impact of a single conversion will save thousands of lives. It’s been estimated that one quarter of the pollution in our waterways comes from the runoff from residential landscaping.

I’m willing to go out on the limb. I predict a serious fish kill in the Gulf of Mexico this summer as the excess rainwater washes tons of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides into the gulf. The toxicity level is going to be off the scale. I’m not going to eat any seafood that comes from the gulf.

Our slogan is "Saving the world one yard at a time." We’re doing that. But sometimes I dream of what it would be like if synthetic fertilizers and chemical pesticides were outlawed altogether. Within three years the water retention capabilities of all the previously poisoned properties would increase by 50%. And everything downstream from those properties would be so much healthier.

If you doubt this, do a simple test. Get some fishing worms. Dunk half of them in an organic fertilizer and dunk the other half in a synthetic fertilizer. Check back in a couple of days to see which ones are still alive. Death begets death and life begets life. We’re killing ourselves.

I don’t intend to be offensive. But I just can’t keep quiet. Reliable sources of clean water are just too important. I have to sound the alarm.

Stay tuned: Next month I’ll explain the magical cumulative impact of a single person’s conversion to organics.