Turn off the northern tap

Re “Everyone’s delta,” editorial, March 3

I’m one of those “old-time Northern Californians” with a “reflexive opposition” to a peripheral canal. I live in L.A. now, but I believe that any lawn that needs a sprinkler deserves to die. I remember the droughts of the late 1970s. While Northern Californians flushed toilets only when conditions became dire, Southern Californians continued to sprinkle their lawns. Does Southern California need delta water? About as much as a Hummer needs oil drilled in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Instead of calling for a canal and contritely granting that Angelenos must make wiser decisions about development in Southern California, how about ripping out those sprinklers that you’re using to water the sidewalks, installing xeriscape landscaping and giving up swimming pools? Those 700 native species in the delta might thank you.

Suzanne Shimek

Los Angeles

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I am dismayed that The Times is a cheerleader for the peripheral canal. You state that, thanks to new research, building a canal “might not be a bad thing for the delta’s ecosystem.” Unfortunately, it is likely to be another catastrophe for the delta. Building the peripheral canal makes it possible to take cleaner water from farther north. This simply transfers the problem. It seems that one of the delta’s biggest threats is The Times.

Lela Lindsey

La Canada