For the second time this year the Indianapolis Department of Waterworks is asking residents to cease all outdoor watering due to drought-like shortages (News Thumbs, Aug. 15-22). But it’s the water company, not citizens, who are to blame for the water shortage.

We have plenty of water. Just look at the Eagle Creek and Geist reservoirs; neither of those has dried up yet. By not preparing the infrastructure needed for a city of Indianapolis’ size, local government has caused a bottleneck problem. As a candidate for City-County Council, I’d like to think that our government can handle a task as important as providing water to its citizens.

When temperatures rise, people use more water. But if you don’t have enough pipes and plants for the increased water usage, it’s hard to keep up. This situation is eerily similar to the history of New Orleans, and the water levees that the city neglected while a new football stadium was built. I’m not sure if anyone remembers, but that didn’t work out so great for them.