Water: Pollution and Privatization

By Martin L. Edwards

"Someday water will be one of our most important commodities. We need to address the issues of pollution now, not later. And I think we need to give very careful caution to the idea of privatization."

Now I will not claim to have all the answers about the often confusing issues surrounding our water. It is something I intend to study much more and eventually become quite an expert on. But as an acknowledged novice on the subject, it seems there needs to be some changes. We need to change how our current water needs are being handled and I think we need to travel the road towards privatization very cautiously. Perhaps it is one of those roads that should not be traveled at all.

Currently, Stockton is in what at least seems to be an adversarial relationship with Stockton East Water District. Stockton East has the difficult task of trying to manage water for both the agricultural interests and for the city of Stockton's interest. Never the two shall meet, except it seems in court with one side suing the other. A recent Stockton Record article mentioned the possibility of a "divorce" whereby Stockton might be able to manage it's own water. The article went on to say it would need to be a split that would benefit both sides in order to work. I think that might be well worth pursuing. The relationship is certainly not working well the way it is.

As for privatization? I think it is absolutely dangerous. The first thing I think of when I hear of privatization is the Enron Corporation and PG&E. They are both privatized corporations. You know Enron even has privatized water companies as subsidiaries. Isn't that a scary thought?

Right now those who manage our water are answerable to the local government and you and I as citizens. What might happen to our water when these people are answerable to shareholders whose main concern is bottom line profits. Ever notice how there is always a gas shortage right before holidays and the price per gallon goes way up? Ever wonder if California was gouged by "privatized" energy corporations, both from in State and out of State? Have you ever wondered what influence these corporations like Enron had on our State and local government? Do you think it could happen with our water too? I do.

The Mayor and City Council have spent a lot of money over a long time researching the possibility of saving money through privatization. So I understand how they may not want to turn away from it now. It kind of suggests that they wasted all that money, doesn't it? Well nobody ever should suggest or believe that government, whether local, State, or Federal is always going to spend our tax dollars perfectly. I'm willing to forgive the expense of what seemed like a good idea once upon a time. But they should be wise enough with recent developments in other privatized utilities to see that this holds some very dangerous possibilities and that it is not too late to turn back. And that big book of regulations we've read about that should make us all feel better about privatizing? I bet there's a big book out there somewhere that was supposed to be keeping Enron in line too. Who was watching the store?

The lure to privatization is saving money. But will it really save "us" (the consumer) money, especially over the long haul? Or will we end up with yet another privatized corporation, where the shareholders get really rich, we get really burned, and then they declare bankruptcy and demand yet more of our tax dollars to bail them out? Or where at the very least when we are so unhappy with them and tired of actually paying higher prices for our water that we try to call it quits and they sue us in court. Think about Enron, PG&E and other privatized corporations that had thick books to protect us. Then ask yourself if you're willing to risk going down the same road with something as vital as your water.

The city council is using a consulting firm called ARI (Alternative Resources) out of Massechusettes to advise them if they should privatize, and if so, who should get the contract for a 20-year "operation and management" agreement. ARI has membership in the National Council for Public-Private Partnerships." This group is one of the nation's most vigorous advocates of privatization. Can we trust ARI to give us an impartial opinion?

Lastly, we need to stop polluting the rivers and Delta waterways. Stockton can't do this by itself, but we can help. Our rivers and Delta are a great resource. Studies have been done to identify the main sources of pollution. We know what they are, but we're doing very little about it. Someday we'll have no choice. We need to address it now. There are small steps we can take as a city to get started. There are still other areas where we need for our city leaders to work closely with County, State and Federal legislators to insure that we have enough abundance of water to meet future needs, and that it be clean, whether it is coming out of our faucets or out of our storm drains. Water is too important for us to take for granted.

Thank you.