Michael Connelly uses L.A.'s draught-plagued gutter system in the conclusion of "The Narrows" to great -- and terrifying -- effect. And no, having lived there, I can say from personal experience that although California as a state may have introduced more pro-environment policies than many another state of the U.S., Los Angeles and "ecologically sustainable infrastructure" are two concepts that as yet have a long way to go until they meet. Or even "functioning infrastructure", more often than not. Of course, I hope that things have changed for the better since i moved away ... but I certainly won't forget the image of shiny, green, perfectly watered golf courses at times of severe draught (when ordinary families were told to ration water and to not even water their backyards).
That won't have changed ... god forbid the courses aren't perfect and green! ;)
It's not just LA either, I know Melbourne throws out its storm water too - dumps it into the river and then has to post warnings when the e. coli count is too high, and during the last drought, about 10 years ago, spent 4 BILLION building a desal plant, and guess what? It's never been operational! The drought broke just as they finished it, so it's been sitting offline for the last decade costing about 132 million a year to maintain. It's insane. And it makes me wonder how many other cities/countries bemoan their water shortages while also throwing out their rainwater.
Ugh. Oh yes, e.coli, don't even mention that. On top of which, one of L.A.'s sewage outlets goes straight into Santa Monica Bay. Which is why you typically only find tourists actually swimming in the ocean on SM Beach ...
It's not just LA either, I know Melbourne throws out its storm water too - dumps it into the river and then has to post warnings when the e. coli count is too high, and during the last drought, about 10 years ago, spent 4 BILLION building a desal plant, and guess what? It's never been operational! The drought broke just as they finished it, so it's been sitting offline for the last decade costing about 132 million a year to maintain. It's insane. And it makes me wonder how many other cities/countries bemoan their water shortages while also throwing out their rainwater.