

Water Train Inc. seeks test project partners - pm24601
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/news/water-train-inc-seeks-test-project-partners.html

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Jonoco
Will they be selling it at the subsidized rate California farmers are
accustomed to? Farmers in Central California paid $17.00/acre-foot last year.
I'll do the maths:

472.6 acre-feet X $17.00/acre-feet = $8,095.40

Not bad for 300 railcars.

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pm24601
I doubt it --- but then again that great water rate is multiplied by 0
acre/feet; which is how many acre-feet the farmers are getting from the state.

There is no water to hand out at such cheap rates ( or any rates ).

This is the great failure of a market economy. Water is _not_ fungible. If
water is not available, there is no replacement.

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AnimalMuppet
> A fleet of more than 300 railcars has been dedicated to the Water Train
> project with a potential capacity of more than 154 million gallons (472.6
> acre-feet) of water in a growing season. (1 acre-foot = 325,851 gallons).

472 acre-feet? _Per growing season?_ That's so little, it's very close to
worthless.

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pm24601
Not if you are a farmer that doesn't get any water from the state because of
cutbacks.

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AnimalMuppet
Sure. 400 acre-feet could save a farmer. _One_ farmer, maybe two or even
three. That's with 300 railcars. That's three trains.

I mean, it's great for that one farmer. But as a solution to the larger
problem? It doesn't work.

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pm24601
Water Train, _INC._ is not trying to solve the drought. They are trying to
make money.

If farmers or cities pay more dollars for the water than it costs Water Train,
_INC_ to ship the water in - then Water Train, Inc is happy.

There are people out in the Central Valley who don't have running water any
more and are relying on very expensive bottled water for every thing. (
[http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/26395402/valley-
drought-2014-...](http://www.kmph-kfre.com/story/26395402/valley-
drought-2014-wells-dry-up-leaving-homes-with-no-water) )

Sounds like a great business opportunity. But it sounds like something the
cities and the state should be looking into as well.

