Longmont is fortunate to have Symphony Orchestra
On Saturday, January 21, the Longmont Symphony Orchestra 2,600 St. Vrain Valley School District welcomes fifth graders to a performance of selections from Saint-Saens “The Carnival of the Animals” narrated by Cameron Grant. Maestro Elliot Moore asked for a show of hands if it was their first time attending an orchestral concert. There was a tsunami of raised hands.
Collectively, the music ecosystem is known to generate rich social, cultural and economic benefits. Music is a universal gift, and its power to connect people is beyond doubt. It improves mental and physical health. It teaches teamwork and discipline. It has no restrictions on age or physical development. It celebrates and commemorates our lives.
This fact has long led to the LSO’s mission to provide the entire community with this basic need. The annual fifth grade concert is just one example of how that need is met. In addition to the LSO concert series, the LSO offers the following special events: the “Gentle Nutcracker” for those in our community who have special needs; the Fourth of July concert at Thompson Park; the smaller chamber concerts at the Senior Center and the museum. The LSO works with music teachers and other performing arts groups in the area to assist in their work to educate and entertain current and future generations about the value of music.
Longmont is very fortunate to have such an institution and the support of such dedicated musicians, donors and volunteers to help with this vitally important commitment. Support for the arts is critical to the health and well-being of a community.
Judith Watson, Longmont
Desalination could help with West’s water crisis
A recent Denver Post article published in the Times-Call provided opinions on ways to alleviate the Colorado River water crisis. Israel’s desalination success should be relevant. But that success is discounted on the grounds that agriculture uses the most water in the Colorado River Basin states, but that agriculture makes up only a small fraction of Israel’s economy.
In fact, the fraction of Israel’s GDP from agriculture is comparable to the Colorado River Basin states; about 2.4% for Israel and 2.9% for the seven basin states together. Currently, Israel has five large desalination plants that supply a total of approximately 475,000 acre-feet per year. Two more in development will increase that to more than 700,000.
Israel has demonstrated the ability to afford that level of desalination. The combined GDP of the seven basin states is more than nine times that of Israel. Therefore, the countries acting together must certainly be able to afford plants to produce three times (only one-third of the GDP ratio) the amount that Israel produces. That would be more than the 2 million acre-feet a year that federal officials say is needed to ease the crisis.
No new technology is needed. A plant rated at just over 300,000 acre-feet per year has been in service in Saudi Arabia since 2014. Seven of them, the same number as Israel has, would provide the 2 million acre-feet per year needed. There is plenty of room – California’s coastline is five times the length of Israel’s. All that is needed is the political will to build them. We have delayed too long.
Conservation and other constructive measures are good, but relying on lawyers to divide an inadequate water supply will not work in the long term. The overall water supply must be expanded. Desalination is the only proven way to do this.
Carl Brady, Frederick
