Thanks for your personal information. I hear this all the time but somehow feel something more is at play. The rural/urban divide has been around a long time. Many rural people work the land and stick to themselves or their small communities. Urbanites, especially on the coasts, come in contact with a multitude of cultures and people and see things on a wider perspective. Many rural communities (as ours) also have this connections and our being not only a farming/ranching community but also a community of retired/moneyed as well as tourists from all over the world helps us be the open minded and accepting community we are. As I have said many times, geography is a huge factor in how people think and one can see that even in our county and little Lopez, by far, leads the pack in community involvement (even in the state - I know hard to believe).
However, even having said all that, we are animals with instincts and basic needs. When our resource base dwindles then many look for ways to survive even at the expense of others. In my studies of history almost all violence has a lack of resources as an undertone. We simply cannot keep adding more and more people to the nation with the world's largest, per capita, carbon footprint and think everything will be just fine. It is not and I try not to listen to the news as it only upsets me. Nothing that is happening in 'America' is and probably will effect me but I care so it does effect me emotionally. I have been to Ellensburg (is there a mountain there?) and enjoyed my visits. Not living there makes a difference, though.

@JackPedigo LOL - there are high ridges to the northwest. You can see the Iclces and Mt Stuart but nomountain, it's just high desert plateau. You would think with Central
Washington University here the locals would get some exposure but most have no interest in what college kids are up to. I have been invloved in land and water issues and the work we did has set the standard for counties in WA to make sure not is potable water available but LEGAL water.
Have not been as active the pass few years but stay up on the doings but like you stay away from the news for the most part because it is depressing.

@silverotter11 After I sent the comment I realized I got my burgs, bergs mixed up. In Germany a Berg is a mountain and a Burg is a castle. I should have asked if there are any castles in Ellensburg? lol

So what's the difference between potable and legal? With idiot-in-chief in power the is probably a huge difference.

@JackPedigo Actually there is IS!!

@JackPedigo Potable is drinkable. Western water law says first in time first in line. The Yakima River Basin is a 'closed' basin, as such those who have senior water rights get water in a drought year and if you don't have senior water right your taps get shut off. Such was the case for the town of Roslyn 2005, Suncadia stepped up and temporarily sold some senior water rights so the town had time to find permanent senior rights. Okay, there was a 30 plus year court battleforf the adjudication of senior surface rights but the connection between ground water and surface was NOT a part of that suit as there was the 1943 Permit Exempt Well Law - a law put in place to allow rural property owners to drill a well for household use, livestock watering and to grow a garden/water a lawn. Developers started abusing the law (with the blessing of our county commissioners) and so the water wars began. In upper county if you buy a piece of property you must also purchase a senior water right. BTW the Yakima Nation owns the majority of the senior water rights in the Yakima Basin.
Snow pack is very critical as that snow melt supplies the water to irrigate and promote the salmon runs.
That's enough for now. Time for bed

@silverotter11 My first comment was satire. Yes, there is a big difference, to normal people.

Once took an environmental issue course for the Mountaineers in Seattle (later participated in the planning committee for future courses for 6 years). In the 9 part series there were two parts for water and water law was one course. Not a simple thing and your comment only proves that. There was a water part on and environmental program that showed how some people get their (or try to) in parts of Africa. Corporations have stepped in and offer water to the highest bidder and many smaller communities go without. Water is often a major issue in our environmental crises and our increasing population only makes things worse.

I have a well with plenty of water (albeit hard). In 2015 we had a major drought and I was worried about running out (the well provides for garden, grey and potable water) so I installed a rain harvesting system. This is good for me (it helps me learn to conserve during the summer) and good for the well (it's recharge gets a boost. Here in our county Lopez has one of the highest recharge rates and that is less than 10%). More people are installing rain harvesting as many along the lower areas are getting salt water intrusion in their wells. You seem really knowledgeable on this issue so thanks for the information.

@JackPedigo Rain water harvesting might only exacerbate the slow recharge rate. Technically according to western water law you are stealing surface water which is governed by senior water rights. The more straws in the ground sucking water out the more salt water intrusion there will be.
The geology for upper county and lower county is very different and lower country has been pretty well mapped but not upper county. Upper county ground water is all litte undergrounnd rivers and streams. And the earthquake in 2001 in Seattle (Nesqualli quake) was really felt in the CleElum area. I heard it and felt it at my house. My well lost 30 static feet and 2 neighbors west of me had their wells go dry. .
I just realized I was not clear about the castle burgs comment - there is actually a castle of sorts and it's on a hill. Seriously.

@silverotter11 A castle, very interesting. There is a home in Anacortes that is built of stone in the shape of a small castle. Wouldn't want to live there.

I see the rain harvesting in a different light. It takes 100 gallons to get 10 gallons to the ground water. If I pull 5,000 gallons from the sky, that same amount from the well would require 50,000 gallons of rain to recharge the well. Also, after the tanks are full the overflow goes into the ground as well as the grey water from the house. I'll bet since I've installed my tanks, my well level has actually grown. There is a guy here who thinks the harvesting system is bad because the tanks are ugly! Many actually put there tanks in housing to keep the sun away from them. He thinks everyone should have a pond which takes space. Also, ponds have a problem with algae growth and mosquitoes. If people who live near the shore had tanks they wouldn't be drawing water from the ground so there wouldn't be salt water intrusion. Thanks for the conversation.

@JackPedigo 5,000 gallons is what is allowed under the Permit Exemple Well Law. I do see your point with the harvesting of rain water, on the island I can see where is would make a difference. I think rain barrels are a good idea but in very arid areas it might not be. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Personally maintaining a grass farm when you retire looks ugly to me

@silverotter11 Interesting, here the minimum for a harvesting system is 6,000 gallons. Of course it may not work for a dry area. I have to conserve to get through the summer with 5,400 gallons. It is my understanding things are changing legalwise due to the increasing water shortages. One previous issue concerned the plumbing. People in the old days did a lot of harvesting. On Patos, there is little ground water so the lighthouse keepers all had wooden water collection tanks. Now there is filtration and either UV or Ozone to purify the water.

@JackPedigo 6,000 hum, interesting. With the connection between ground water and surface water well known but not adjudicated in court I wonder if rain barrels are even allowed in Kittitas County. I'll have to check with a friend of mine and see what she knows about that aspect of water in the county.

Wouldn't it be great if one of the nominees talked on how they would change the presidency and make it more connected and limited as it should be?

Thanks for the comment. When I read the opening sentence I thought the worst but, knowing the rag most of their articles are worth reading. To me the article was more about the underlying conditions that have created what we have. The authors remaining connection with her home and still being accepted was an extra highlight.

I do have to say not all rural areas are like this. Here in Western Washington many 'rural' areas are very liberal. My county is extremely liberal and my island, even though it is the 2nd smallest of the big 4, is the most community oriented and connected in the county and probably one of the top in the state.