If you appreciate having abundant water delivered to your tap, please read this....

One of the greatest threats to our United States water supply is the fact that municipalities like Greensboro sell water for profit. The average water works is a sales organization disguised as a municipal service.

LIFE LESSON: A government that funds itself through the sale of water will always SELL all the water it can. When in front of a camera that government will vociferously encourage the practice of water conservation to appear green, but its policies will aim to maximize water consumption (sales).


PTRWA’s Randlemnan Reservoir is a perfect case study for municipal water inefficiency. PTRWA will sell all the water it can treat—every gallon of it! And the more water it treats the more water it will sell. PTRWA will never encourage water conservation until Randleman Reservoir is near empty and it PTRWA is running out of water to sell.

Eventually PTRWA will have the most expensive water warden uniforms, the best high-tech communications systems, the fastest patrol boats and the most plush office chairs….all because it is a water-selling monoploy that sets its own water rates. Of course PTRWA will encourage water conservation…but it will never be serious about it. Just watch.

Sadly, Greensboro no longer operates a water conservation program. Years ago when it did, the water department discovered that successful water conservation hurt water sales. For example, consider the 35,000 leaking toilets spread across the City of Greensboro. About 2 million gallons a day of drinking water is purchased by the owners of those leaking toilets! Why would a water department whose objective it is to sell water want to encourge their customers to fix those leaking toilets? Those toilets represent a guaranteed daily sale of 2 million gallons!

Likewise, the City of Greensboro always ridicules the operation of lawn irrigation systems when it is raining—but it has done nothing to prevent their operation. I proposed an ordinance like they use out West in arid communities. It would require the installation of a $30 “rain switch” that automatically cuts “off” irrigation systems during rain events. It is so simple. Can you guess why GSO never adopted the "rain switch?" It’s because Greensboro is desperate to sell all the water it can, and sprinkler systems operating when it is raining represent sales.

The story behind the dam scam is much bigger than me being fired for reducing water sales and Greensboro tricking its citizens into an unnecessary dam. It’s about government selling water when it should be conserving water. If you want more of my observations about the City of Greensboro read my story “Water Economics 101.”

Today is World Water Day, a promotion of the United Nations. This is a good day for you to understand the profit motives that drive the City of Greensboro water department. I would appreciate your feedback. Please post a comment.

A quick review of my water sales CHART explains why Greensboro is out to sell all the water it can.

The folks down in Willmington wish that all the upstream municipalities like Greensboro would sell as little water as they can—because it would mean cleaner drinking water for Willmington. Unfortunately every municipality upstream uses (sells) all the water it can to make money. And now you know how water is wasted and polluted whenever government sells water for profit.