Ten years later, Water Station work continues

[1AngryTaxPayer]

Originally Posted by WaterStationPrez

It really is a simple thing we do. We place water where we think thirsty people will pass. We do not transport anyone, harbor or shelter anyone, employ anyone or assist anyone in avoiding detection.



If you know people who remove our water, then you know vandals with no respect for other people’s property. Vandalizing or stealing other people’s property is not legal and it's not environmentalism; it’s larceny.

We pack out trash from the areas we serve as part of our replenishment runs. We do a pretty good job of it and will be having specialized runs this year for the sole purpose of packing out trash in the larger vicinity of our stations.

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The “littering” thing is an Arizona construct and no California authority has mentioned it as a possibility. We are licensed by jurisdictional authority for each of the 360 station we have established. We also meet regularly with and have coordination agreements with the El Centro sector of the Border Patrol in Imperial.

You and I are in complete accord on one subject, though – I would love to return to the simple enjoyment of the desert, as I have loved visiting Anza-Borrego and the Imperial Valley for 45 years.



As an American citizen, I don’t have much voice in Mexico. We do sponsor public service advertisements on Mexican radio discouraging people from attempting to make the crossing, warning of the heat, the complete lack of natural potable water and the great distances. We do not advertise our stations.

[It is a deadly journey. It also robs Mexico of people who have the strength and power to reshape their country. It is a shame for them to lose that energy. I would love for people to stop making the crossing into the United States. However, as long as people are going to attempt it, it is immoral to allow them to die.



No they are not. I’m not sure what you think you saw, but it wasn’t one of our water stations and there is no other group that has water stations in California. You are simply misinformed or, perhaps, mistaking water stations for the cement radiator water “barrels” built when I-8 went through. If you look at those, you’ll see that they have “Radiator Water – Do Not Drink” stenciled on them.

Our stations are blue heavy plastic (food grade) 55-gallon barrels stocked with sealed, one-gallon jugs of water. All stations near El Centro are marked with a bright orange and blue flag. Stations are checked at least every other week from March through October

I’ll tell you this, though: if you ever see a problem with one of our stations (bees are a frequent problem, as they can really move in fast), let me know its exact location and I’ll have it fixed within a week.

What happens when you create a pattern of migration then the water isn't there? Have you really ever thought about that? You are just as guilty as the smuggler telling them that there will be water and it will be safe. No water means they will tell them to not cross or cross elsewhere. You are setting out the bird feeder.

[WaterStationPrez]

What happens when you create a pattern of migration then the water isn't there?

The "pattern of migration" argument doesn't hold up. Let me explain how I know, bearing in mind that we just started our eleventh year and we have quite a bit of experience and data:

(1) Migration routes change constantly, based on CBP enforcement, off-highway vehicle use, breakdown of trails or popularity of trails with desert enthusiastists.

(2) Routes constantly change from trails on which we have stations to those on which we don't. The other factors have a much greater impact than the location of the water.

(3) Ours is not a "bread-crumb trail." A migrant cannot travel from station to station through the entire course of his/her crossing. There is simply too much land and too few stations.

(4) Even in the case of our stations which have been established season after season, we rarely find that migrants have emptied the stations. In fact, almost the only time we ever find a station without water is when it has been vandalized.