For four years between 1974 and 1978 we lived in Chicago. There were several interesting aspects of our urban adventure. We were attending graduate school and living in the neighborhood of the University of Chicago. We had access to a wonderful library and incredible and challenging teachers. We had never before lived in a city, so the cultural cornucopia was wonderful. We visited museums and heard concerts and saw exhibitions and attended baseball and basketball games and witnessed many other things that simply are not part of life in rural and small towns.

One other distinctive feature of our time in Chicago was that we lived in a city that is very near to average for the nation in terms of precipitation. Chicago averages about 36 inches per year. The national average is 37. So, in a way, Chicago is not remarkable. But for me it was noteworthy. Next to Chicago, Rapid City is the wettest place I’ve lived in my life. And Rapid City is far below the national average with 18 inches a year. Every other place I’ve lived has been semi-arid. Boise gets only 12 inches a year and Billings isn’t much damper with 14.

And this year promises to be a bit wetter than usual here in Rapid. We’ve already gotten over 2 inches of rain in the first 5 days of June. the average for the month is only 2.5 inches. And that follows a May when we received nearly 7 inches compared to the average monthly total of 3 1/4.

Water is a precious commodity, so we store it up in reservoirs and try to make it last throughout the year. All of the hills reservoirs are full and there are extra releases from the dams to make room for more anticipated large inflows. Right now we have enough. But we know that the dry times will come and we know what it looks like when the reservoir levels begin to drop.

When we lived in Idaho we were aware of the amount of energy and financial resources that was being invested year in and year out in litigating water claims disputes. Irrigators argued over their water rights and the arguments erupted into full-fledged court battles. There were literally hundreds of people who made their full-time living off of the adjudication of water claims. And, I’m told, Idaho’s water disputes are nothing compared to those of southern California.

The state that produces a lot of the crops that are sold in our grocery stores, has more agriculture than its water resources can support. Now that resources are running short, some irrigators don’t get the water they need and some crops are being lost due to the lack of water, while upstream irrigators have enough water to grow their crops. California has an extensive system of canals that moves water from one location to another. Much of the agriculture of Southern California is dependent upon artificial irrigation.

In my growing-up years there was plenty of irrigation in the river valleys. Most of it was supported by ditches filled at diversion dams and ranchers, with a series of artificial canvas dams, would flood their fields and increase the yield of alfalfa for animal feed. There were a few sprinkler systems, mostly fed from wells. Irrigating was a labor-intensive business that required constant attention throughout the summer. After a couple of cuttings of hay, the irrigation season was over and the ditches were emptied until the next spring.

Irrigation has become much more sophisticated since those days. There are complex systems of canals and diversion dams and a few pipelines with valves to control the water flow. There are a wide variety of different sprinkler systems and orchardists are increasingly using drip and other systems that deliver water to individual plants.

We’ve known for a long time how important water is to our livelihood. We are, after all, mostly water ourselves. It makes sense that growing our food would require a lot of water. But we are beginning to glimpse that this resource isn’t infinite. There are limits to the amount of water that is available and the conflict over water use in California and other Western states is only the beginning of the issues that we will need to resolve as world population continues to climb and the demand for water for non-agricultural processes, such as manufacturing and power generation, continue to rise. This world has its limits and we are reaching some of those limits.

Of course most of us could consume much less water if we really worked at it. A great deal of water runs down our drains without even being used. We use water to clean our driveways and wash our vehicles whiteout a thought of reclaiming and reusing the water. I linger in the shower simply because it feels good. Our homes are filled with appliances that use water. However, the decisions we make about energy consumption and our choices about the foods we eat probably have a more direct impact on total water consumption than fixing the leaking faucet or stopping the drip in the shower.

As we seek to make healthy choices about the food we eat, it will do us good to remember that water is another factor in our food choices. Nuts, for example, take a lot of water. It takes about a gallon of water to grow one almond, and nearly five gallons to produce a walnut. In California, more water is consumed to produce almonds for export than is required to provide for all of the businesses and homes in Los Angeles. And most of the nuts grown in California are exported to other countries, with Hong Kong and China being the top buyers of US nuts.

So while we are drying out a bit and longing for blue skies, it is a good time to say a prayer of thanksgiving for the water we have received. Perhaps it is a good sign of a summer with less drought and fewer fires.

The ancients saw rain as a sign of God’s favor and blessing. It is good to give thanks for the blessings that we receive.

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