Spring is surely approaching because the local farmers are burning their irrigation ditches in preparation for the first release of irrigation water. A few minutes ago I passed a farmer driving a tractor with his ditch burner flaring away. It consisted of a long boom attached to the rear hitch and was fitted with a downward facing burner that rides over the ditch. This flame from above brings sudden hellfire to field mice and rabbits crouching in the ditch. Potbellied farmer dudes with shovels and a 4-wheeler watch the fire from a distance ready to spring into action if the fire gets out of control. A hawk studies the activity from atop a nearby power pole.
The local reservoirs have been silently filling up with water in preparation for the seasons long discharge into the downhill maze of irrigation canals. Things are happening in the background.
Lamentations on Chemistry 
Now is when we Minnesotans extract our revenge for the long cold winters – well – you beter wait a month as we still have a foot of snow on the ground and 28 days of March left (our second snowiest month). With 15,000 lakes, there is plenty of water to go around and while water rights do exist, they area very small legal issue that no sane lawyer (oxymoron alert!) can even think to specialize in.
By the way, I posted a reply to your query over at my blog yesterday.
Thanks John, I’ve been preoccupied since I asked the question. I’ll go check. Ciao.
The Niña is moving the climates patterns, maybe there is going to take another month to reach spring.