Well it's getting close to the time this diary must drop. I've been outside much of the day cleaning up a bunch of plum trees trunks and branches. The bigger pieces I'll be able to burn in my wood burning stove this winter. The smaller bits I have to chop up with loppers so the pieces will fit into our two green waste cans.
The weather isn't too bad today topping out at 95 degrees with 20% humidity. There's been a bit of a breeze all day which helps cool down my sweat-drenched body. I'm cutting up some plum trees and one small apple tree. We're getting rid of dead wood and making room for an excavator to get into where we need to put a french drain in to shunt water away from our home during heavy winter rains.
Here are the tools I use: Fiskars brand powergear loppers (I've used many over the years and these are the best. Other rather expensive ones simply broke. Either the handles snapped in half while lopping or, in one case, the cutting edge snapped off), a folding hand saw and a larger non-folding hand saw. Each has it's perfect use.
They are predicting a strong El Nino which should mean more rain that usual. However there is a new occurrence not seen before this year. There is exceptionally warm water all along the west coast from California way up to Canada. It's 5 degrees warmer than usual and has just parked itself there. It's simply being called "the blob."
What they do know is it will compete with El Nino and will likely change the normal pattern of an El Nino. The latest models show El Nino being split in half with one half going up to Canada and the other half going into southern California. San Francisco is the cutoff. North of that won't see an El Nino effect at all. If this turns out to be true, northern California won't be wetter than normal and could actually be drier.
The irony in all of this, if this prediction comes true, is it won't do much to alleviate our drought because northern California is always where the majority of rain and snow falls which then fills our reservoirs. Southern California would be deluged with rain that would mostly just flow into the ocean after causing a bunch of mud slides without being captured since there are no big reservoirs down there. Why would there be? We'll see.
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There will be unintended consequences for all the water conservation we've been doing here locally in Paradise. So far Paradise has saved 46% of the water used in 2013 (the year they are using as the benchmark). Last year we were asked to voluntarily save 25% and we saved 27%. This year we are mandated to save 36% compared to 2013. So our water rates are going to be jacked up a tremendous amount. The reason is revenue is way, way down for the Paradise Irrigation Water district.
Our water bill came today. It's $53.50 of which $$22.50 is for the water we used. Next year they originally planed on having two different water rates. One will be for "super savers" who get to use a maximum of 3 units of water per month. The rate for that water will be $25.43. The other rate will be $98.85 per month for water use up to 40 units. There will be a hefty penalty fee for those that go over their limit. We get to choose a plan in January which will lock us in. Who on earth can get by on 3 units of water per month? Maybe someone who lives in a single-wide trailer parked on asphalt who showers twice a week and does laundry once every two weeks and doesn't have any plants in pots outside.
Clearly nearly everyone will be forced to choose the higher rate. PID says they need to make up for lost revenue since people are saving so much water. They need to give themselves raises, which always annoys me because they get a very high income already, especially when you factor in the cost of living here. They have to pay for 60 more miles of pipe replacement, and they need to pay for building an auxiliary treatment plant since what they discharge back into Little Butte Creek exceeds California laws for water (too many chemicals and metals). That's going to cost $11,500,000 they tell us.
Well, in yesterday's newspaper it was published that they decided to rethink it. They will create 5 water tiers instead of just two. They haven't said what they'll charge per tier yet. They also said they'd use 2014 as the yardstick. What? That was when we saved 27% from the previous year (a bit dirty pool if you ask me). They also said they won't allow roll-over, so if you don't use what you're paying for each month = tough.
It looks like we at Casa Smileycreek will be paying more than 400 percent more for water than what we're paying now. Stay tuned...
What do you want to kibitz about tonight?
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Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with kossacks who are caring and supportive of one another. So bring your stories, jokes, photos, funny pics, music, and interesting videos, as well as links—including quotations—to diaries, news stories, and books that you think this community would appreciate. Readers may notice that most who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but newcomers should not feel excluded. We welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.
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