Will gas and water become scarce?
At the annual Assembly on Nov. 5th, I mentioned two trends we needed to watch:
- Water - Not only is OOMSAPAS radically increasing rates, but there will be shortages until their new desalination plant comes online in 2025. We are subject to rationing.
- Propane - the price of propane is skyrocketing. Further, the geopolitical realities of the Russia-Ukraine war were massively distorting the supply of oil, gas and derivative products.
Two things happened this week that got my attention. The first was David's answer to my question, "why is the Phase I pool water level so low?" He explained that recently we have not been refilling it after "backwashing" the filters every night, absorbing normal evaporation and dealing with water loss from swimmers splashing, getting in/out, etc. "Wayne, we are in a rationing situation. Every day, OOMSAPAS gives us only so much water. We prioritize drinking water for the Units, of course. Then we have to allocate any remaining water between pools and irrigation. Lately, we've cut back on pool water."
"We've been juggling water for several weeks," he continued. "I'm trying to avoid calling in the water trucks, which can get very expensive."
The second item was this announcement in today's Gringo Gazette: "Propane Gas Scarcity Is An Enigma." The article outlines some supply chain problems that include a damaged dock in Mazatlan. The good news is that David has kept our tanks topped up. (I just checked.) Hopefully, the supply chain problem will be resolved before our tanks get empty and the pools get chillier!