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Tombstone's water war

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  • Description

    City says feds blocking emergency repairs

  • Duration 3:05
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Was this a wild west landmark may soon be all dried up last year the water line in tombstone Arizona was damaged in a forest fire.

But the US Forest Service won't let the city -- machinery for repairs in order to protect an endangered -- Joining us right now.

-- -- -- he is the director of the center for constitutional government at the Goldwater institute he has represented the city of tombstone.

In their fight good morning to you -- Morning okay so.

-- tombstone is trying to fix their water line because it's Arizona and they need water.

And apparently that that -- -- service won't let them use heavy machinery.

They're told they can only use horses.

And hand tools.

Are you kidding me.

That's outrageous.

It's outrageous they're boulders the size of Volkswagen's twelve feet of mud.

Bearing their water system.

The the floods in the fire that caused the destruction of wrapped steel pipes around trees.

And and they want people to use shovels and picks in May -- they can use you know something cut down a tree that has guess operation to a -- But -- chainsaw but aside from that no they won't let them use bulldozers.

Beck goes anything that you could actually used to get the job done in a matter -- -- of a couple of weeks.

And -- the reason for services you can't use a heavy machinery is because.

That that item right -- the Mexican spotted owl is in the area.

And it's endangered -- can't mess with an endangered species.

Well apparently the spot -- more important people.

But that's just the latest excuse this has been going on for nine months even before there was -- spot at all.

In the end this is really about power because the federal government realizes that if it wants to control the southwest the place to begin -- control over the water.

Absolutely and you've taken this to the Supreme Court the Supreme Court has denied it so what -- the people is how tombstone gonna -- Well right now we're living day to day by day every day is a potential death penalty in December 2010 we almost lost -- historic downtown.

Which is nineteenth century old wood structures to a fire at six gun city.

Right now we're peak water consumption is not enough water left over for adequate fire suppression.

Without the water from the mountains we can't justified modernizing our systems in at the same time the one alternative well supply that we have as arsenic contaminated.

In the three -- -- have all been shut down because there arsenic poison.

So is the slow boat through litigation continues every day that passes is another day that the people tombstone could literally dot.

His -- it's extraordinary you would think we're talking about some.

Town and a Third World nation where they've got to use horses and handles were talking about tombstone Arizona in the United States of America.

Well we're gonna keep an eye on this to find out what happens -- because that is -- It's a great detail and people need water victories.

From the Goldwater is.

Think it's -- thank you.

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