This is not a rhetorical question. Suppose we all decided to conserve water — no winter lawns, better yet, no lawns at all. Stop watering trees. No swimming pools. No gardens. Limit our showers to a couple times a week. Do you really need to wash your car more than once a year? If we all pitch in together, we can make this happen! Such a good feeling, saving all this water!

Now, what happens to all the water we are saving? Maybe it will be sent on down to the Gulf of California where it can be used to maintain the ecological health of the Colorado River delta. Or maybe it will be used to supply water for even more people who move into Arizona.

If it is used so that this area can continue its current rate of population growth, who benefits when that happens? Maybe all of us who conserve water will receive some benefit, or maybe the real estate developers who create housing that can be built to supply housing for this population growth will receive some benefit. Hmm, I wonder which group will benefit most…

I know, I’m just being cynical here.