Watered Down Perspective. Humboldt has too much water!

Humboldt County has an anomaly when it comes to water. We have way more than enough for our community. Just how much excess water? Enough to supply 3 times as much as California’s 40,000,000 residents can drink! The average person needs to drink about ½ a gallon a day and Humboldt has 21.9 Billion gallons of undefined use of excess water available. And here is the kicker no one wants to talk about; if Humboldt does not find an earmarked use for these excess waters by 2029 we will lose our rights to the water. “Use it or lose it” rules will come into affect sooner than we realize! Our biggest obstacle is transportation. We cannot ship, truck or fly out water cost effectively. Water based companies such as Hershey, Campbell’s and others have shown little interest and the Humboldt Municipal Water District has had more workshops than you can shake a squirt gun at. So what is the solution? I have suggested that excess water be used for the cannabis farms that don’t have adequate water supplies in Southern Humboldt.  Having Mad River water augmenting natural water supplies I see as a win. Since you are not supposed to cultivate without adequate water supply makes this a mute point. But you know that people are growing and having water delivered every day up in the hills. Why not solve a few problems at once? How about an amnesty program that allows people to purchase Mad River water without having the obstacles of identifying uses. I just think it is time to revisit this subject before a tunnel is built to the Sacramento River to send our water to farms in the South that were also planted where they did not have adequate waters to grow. 

Rail service not coming to Humboldt anytime soon.

The Times Standard did a story on the futility of the North Coast Rail Authority (NCRA). Things to take from this story: NCRA has not been receiving payment by the Operator (North Western Pacific Co.) to haul Freight in Marin and Sonoma County. Operator has no desire to continue rail service north of Healdsburg. The North Coast Rail Authority has Operating Revenue of $500,000 and Expenses of $700,000 per year for a Operating deficit of $200,000. There is no identified or earmarked  state funding for the NCRA. Any opportunity for an excursion train from Samoa to Scotia has no chance until about 2025-30. But the piece of trail from Arcata to Bracut will be fine addition this next year but no plans for the construction continuation to Eureka until 2021. I have continually said in public I want to see a trail around the bay before I die. Don't know if I will make it that long.  

EHS grads Madsen and Hanson starting Linemen for Division 1 football schools!

And both were All Academic for their conferences also! I cannot remember the last time we had 2 players playing lineman on Division 1 schools at the same time.

Jake Hanson is starting at center at 6'5" and 302 for the Oregon Ducks and has helped the Ducks have a great running attack in the Pac 12. He garnered All Conference honorable mention last year.

Nathan Madsen has started at Nose Tackle for a few years at for the Fresno State Bulldogs. I was talking to his father James not too long back and he and his wife Terra are going to travel to watch Nate play against #1 Alabama next week and then follow up with a trip to # 8 Washington. What player in Humboldt County history has had a chance to play back to back top 10 teams in two weeks? I would say none ever.