Do You Believe All This "Running Out Of Water" Hype?

"We have the same amount of water now as we did when Noah was floating above Mt. Ararat."


"Lake Superior (the largest freshwater body on Earth) was too shallow to float cargo ships in the summer of 2009."*

I don't claim to understand how both of the above statements can be true.    But something is happening to water and it's not good.

A friend sent me this picture of a bridge project that is aimed at traffic congestion at the Hoover Dam.  Look behind the dam.  That white "bathtub ring on the banks of the Colorado river shows a 100' drop in water level.   That is huge! 


What is the solution?  Anyone that has studied economics at its most rudimentary level learned that demand and supply influence (dictate) price.  To mash up a quote from Will Rogers, "Buy (or save) water.  They're not making any more of it!"

*quoted from Robert Glennon's book, "Unquenchable: America's Water risis and What to Do About It"

I Went To A Green Conference The Other Day . . .

Let me jump to the chase.  The city of Waco has made changes to its waste water treatment facility that is saving $400,000 in gas, an additional $600,000 in electricity and they are dumping the water back into the Brazos river CLEANER than the water that's already there.  Not bad.  According to Kristy Wolter, the presenter, the Waco treatment plant is number 2 in the United States.   San Francisco has a plant that is even more efficient.  And this is supposed to be a bureaucracy!

So what does this have to do with irrigation in Texas?  

Is it an attitude?

The Waco treatment plant may not be saving water, but, if I am understanding them, they are taking  effluent, treating it so it turns back into an asset (soil amendments and clean water) and spending $1,000,000 less than the old way of doing it.   

It all seems so big.  Maybe you're selling and servicing sprinkler systems that costs a few thousand dollars.  If you can design a system and put a controller on it that has a brain,  you can coax, say, $350 a year in water savings.  If you multiply that savings to everyone in your town that has a sprinkler system, now you're talking about some cash. 

Irrigation CEU Classes Up For First Quarter

If you know of an irrigator or landscaper that wants to learn how to use Computer Aided Design (CAD), boy do I have a deal for them!  We just got the web site updated to include all our courses.  The enrollment process should be a lot easier with more reinforcing feedback. 

We have
CAD Class - Basic, one day, 8 hours of CEU credit from the TCEQ
CAD Class - Advanced, one day, 8 hours of CEU credit from the TCEQ
CAD Class - Combo, two days, 16 of CEU credit from the TCEQ
Business Skills - one day, 8 hours of CEU credit from the TCEQ
Identity Crisis - one day, 8 hours of CEU credit from the TCEQ

So, if you know of an irrigator, pass this along.  We will be teaching classes in Dallas/FortWorth, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.   There's a $25 early bird discount for signing up 7 days before the class starts.  Too, there is an additional Alumni discount if they've taken one of our courses before.

Are We Saying "Good Bye" to the Phone Book?

There are several mailboxes grouped together where I live. Two days ago a package of 12 phone books was draped over a couple of the mailboxes. With two day's mail having come and gone, three books had been claimed by our six households. I got one of them. I wanted to see the Yellow page ads we pay $2k for.

I know this lacks a lot in sophistication and polish. But, back in the 17th century, when the Dodo bird became extinct, don't you think people started noticing changes?

I don't use the phone book. I don't even use the Yellow Pages. I know ads there are paid for by the business that benefits. Nothing wrong with that, but now there are more credible ways.


Do you use the phone book? I know there are a lot of people that do, but how long before it's just not used?


Now, for another potential Dodo extinction: do you wear a watch? If so, why? I hope it isn't because you want to know what time it is because your cell phone already does that--and corrects itself--and you carry it with you anyway.

We are in time where we simply cannot assume that the way we did business yesterday is going to survive tomorrow. If water is precious, it will also get expensive. It will be the target of more and more regulation and oversight. And, if you happen to be in an industry that uses a lot of water, you will be centered in the cross-hairs of anyone wanting to take a pot-shot at an easy scapegoat. That would be irrigators, irrigation designers, sprinkler manufacturers, landscapers, sprinkler service crews, ...

The picture of the Dodo bird is from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

The New INTERNATIONAL Home of ceuWOW

We have just finished our first CAD class since it has been approved by the TECQ for Texas landscape irrigators. As it turned out, two of the class members had Mexican-sounding surnames. That's not unusual anywhere in Texas, but especially not in San Antonio. When I asked them where they were from, they said they were irrigators from Monterrey, Mexico!

That's makes our company an international provider of CAD training. So, just in case you had missed the largeness of it all, I hope you are duly impressed. ;-)

New CAD Class Approved

ceuWOW would like to announce that our new CAD Class, a 16 hour continuing education unit (CEU) class, has been approved by the TCEQ for Texas Licensed Irrigators.

We are holding the class in the major market areas of the state now. At this posting we still have room in the Houston and Austin classes. Classes are small due to the hands-on nature of the instruction, so enroll early.

The CAD Class teaches irrigators how to use RainCAD's latest software offering, Pro Contractor Studio.

The cost of the class is $275 for both days.

In favor of the abolition of “You’re welcome.”

It’s a matter of perspective, I know. You go to a “big box” store and are waited on by a helpful and friendly employee. Because your mother did a good job of raising you, you say “Thank you” to the employee. He says, “You’re welcome.” Just a polite exchange of pleasantries, right? But so, so wrong.


The perspective of the employee is the important thing here. It is this perspective that is so wrong. The employee is looking at this encounter with the customer from the natural, unenlightened viewpoint of the hireling. It goes something like this:

“My job here is to keep this section of the store nice and neat. Safe too. I keep an eagle eye out for spills and sharp pokey things. Nothing gets past me. Fully stocked shelves, that’s my job too. And customer service. Like the manager said, ‘Nothing is more important than helping the customer.’ Oh there’s one now.”


So they help the customer and expect the customer to show their appreciation for the help. When they say “thank you,” the employee says, “You’re welcome.”


Now, lets say you own this store.


You know that payroll is this Friday and everyone expects to be paid. Not just this Friday, but also next Friday and every Friday for the rest of time. Vendors will be paid or they stop vending. And it all depends on customers buying from you. Not just this week, but next week. There are many alternatives out there and you realize that the only reason a customer would choose you is because they had a preference for you. Maybe you are the only store that could supply a certain part or service, but probably not. More likely, there are dozens of companies that can provide that part or service.

So, what is your attitude about that customer? They are the reason this store exists—that’s for sure. But, they must be so tickled to do business with you that they prefer you to the competition. You have done everything you can think of to make this the preferable business for your products.

You, Business Owner, are incredibly thankful for that customer. And, if that employee has half a mind, he will grasp that thankfulness and take it to the very center of his soul. How will you know that he did?

“Thank you.”


“Oh NO. Thank YOU.”


And he will mean it.


If you are a business owner, or an employee that “gets it,” you too will be in favor of the abolition of “You’re welcome.”