3 ms·

And we're in a drought. I don't care if they paid for the water, it is completely selfish for them to think they should be able to use anywhere near that amount

• Dylan16807 11y ago
  Imagine it this way. Pretend all the water is being sold, no water rights, and the government is free to do whatever it wants within reason. The government needs a certain amount of money to keep up infrastructure and maybe to subsidize households. It sells this guy 1300 gallons an hour at a high price, and uses that money to not sell a farm 8000 gallons an hour of discount water. Now you have less water being used, and you send the rich purchaser a thank you letter. If you charge for externalities, then buying more is not a bad thing. If you overcharge for externalities, it can even be a good thing. So the question is not "is he using a lot of water", the question is what he's paying for, and whether externalities are being offset. The price in California is probably too low today, but that could easily be changed.