Water Rights

Since the dawn of the oil era, it has been common practice that whoever owns the land owns what lies beneath it. The same logic should apply to water and every other free-flowing natural resource. Therefore, so long as the pumping of groundwater does not detract from the private enjoyment of the land owned by one's neighbors, one should be allowed to extract water from one's own property. Legally speaking, impact on wildlife is not a consideration so long as the appropriate permits are obtained. Morally speaking, since I don't believe humanity has a responsibility to "preserve" nature, and provided the water will in fact be used to the benefit of the people, a property owner should be able to geoscape the land to the extent necessary to obtain the water demanded. If T. Boone Pickens's plan is rejected, presumably, it will be because Dallas can obtain water elsewhere, cheaper. There should be no legal challenge to his right to pipe water to Dallas provided he has the rights to build the pipeline. I don't think we will experience any major crises in Florida, given that not only does the SFWMD keep a tight rein on water supplies in times of drought, but also our proximity to water. The advances in desalinization technology over the last few decades have made it such that while more expensive than natural freshwater, it is economically feasible to substitute seawater.

My Water Usage
Based on the advertised volume of water my toilet, dishwasher, shower, and sink use, I estimate that I used approximately 58 gallons of water today. I believe this is far lower than the average water usage per person, at least in America. I don't "conserve" water, although I am mindful that water isn't free and am therefore not wasteful.