From my second floor home office, I can overlook my
apartment's private patio space, a favorite feature of my modest place. Today,
I noticed a robin trying to sip a drink from residue at the bottom of an
otherwise dry birdbath. Unsatisfied with what was available there, it then
hopped onto the patio floor and attempted a sip from the bottom of a planter
dish. It reminded me -- first that spring has sprung and setting up the patio
space is awaiting my attention -- of the precious nature of water supply,
particularly here in the Utahn arid climate. It reminded me just how much life
depends on that resource.
For the robin, the water was from some condensation residual
from the cool morning, and perhaps the remnants of a light snowfall earlier in
the week -- Nature's gift for those creatures. When the patio is set up, water
is practically limitless, dependent only on my attention to keep the birdbath
topped. For myself, I have the luxury of walking to the kitchen at any time and
pouring as much as I desire from the tap. My dependence is essentially whether
the monthly bill is paid. Unlike
the bird, who may require only ounces for its daily sustenance, my need measures
in gallons after figuring the flushing toilets, showering and laundry needs,
cooking uses, all this aside from any outdoor plant watering or birdbath
filling. Now imagine that need multiplied in millions just to sustain the human
race in Utah.
Probably like the majority, I seldom think where my water
comes from or how it reached me; it is simply always available when needed. The
situation is vastly different in many parts of the world where water is
directly harvested from rainfall, collected in barrels or cisterns, and gravity
fed through simple filtering systems before reaching the spigot. This supply is
limited to what Mother Nature offers. Admittedly, I take my supply for granted,
as it is not Nature's gift directly. Just like any other energy resource, such
as natural gas or electricity, water is supplied and purchased through a
complex network of collection, production and distribution channels -- all of
which remains virtually hidden to me, unless I happen to pass along a reservoir
or gander at the sides of the snow-packed Wasatch Range. The picture is far
bigger than my microscopic view.
 |
| The water supply cycle, simplified, still shows a number of process steps. |
Last week's blog entry (April 2, "Running on Empty") was a photojournalist's powerful look at the Colorado River, a major western source for water. Clear from that film is the extent that resource is tapped from multiple straws sucking it dry. Magnify this to an international scale and the complexity deepens, as film "Blue Gold: World Water Wars" presents. Water is a controlled commodity, shipped globally in varying forms to where the simple evaporation-precipitation cycle is no longer so clear.
For Utah, water is a first order priority concern statewide and
will be for many years. The management of the state's water resources has a
long history of development, and continues to be shaped today.
The concern for Utah is the projected 67% growth in population, or an additional 1.4 million people for the Wasatch Front over the next two decades that is certain to bankrupt the
current annual supply of water, unless some significant reorientation in our
usage occurs. Maybe the problem is really just overpopulation -- too much
sex.
Well, on second thought, maybe too much procreational sex (because is there really ever enough recreational sex?).
Well, on second thought, maybe too much procreational sex (because is there really ever enough recreational sex?).
 | |
| Simple economic curve: as supply decreases, the demand (by moving up the curve to the left) increases, and price follows with an increase. |
Humor aside, just a simple economic curve of too low a water
supply against a too high a water demand is enough to model unsustainability. This
projected population load impacts water resources for sure, but also consider energy
use, housing requirements, transportation infrastructures, and food chains --
all of which depend upon water resources for manufacture, development,
expansion and sustenance. Though it may alleviate some of the energy production need, the nuclear
power plant proposed along the Green River in northeast Utah -- a major
tributary for the Colorado River -- would tap up to 3% (in "dry"
times) of the available water resource in exchange for electrifying hundreds of
thousands of homes. I suggest find another way to electrify homes and leave the
finite resource alone. It seems many others agree.
Some argue that the continuous increasing of supply -- whether electricity, or
water, or gasoline -- to meet demand is not sustainable; that reductions in
population is the only real answer to reducing the need upon a resource.
Diverting water also has impacts. It accelerates desertification in the source area [this is another reference on this]. The diverted water then (in theory) is
returned to the water table in another region, thereby leaving the original
source region in a negative cycle of replenishment.
Alternative ideas are more feasible. Conservation is the key. Learning to live with less and still maintain
an overall balanced quality of life is the smart model to follow. Though one
day it may be unavoidable for society to resort to a "survivalist camping"
lifestyle, there are a number of methods available now that significantly
reduce water use.
Some of them include:
1. Assure that plumbing fixtures are low water users - low
flow urinals, low flow toilets, faucet aerators, low-flow shower heads or
conserving volume controls.
2. Assure that all existing plumbing fixtures and fittings
are tight and non-leaking.
3. Xeriscape landscaping and gardening - use native,
low-water plantings; utilize mulch in planting beds; switch out grass for
climate-appropriate features
4. Consider a greywater system - recycles water for reuse
(such as water from bathroom sinks or laundry - not waste water from toilets,
or what's known as "blackwater"; often greywater is recycled to water plants outside). If your community does not allow,
or only provisionally allows, a greywater system, press your local government to
adopt more allowance on these systems
5. Consider a rainwater harvesting system - collect water
off roofs, or using downspout filters (which prevent fast runoffs) and store
into cisterns for later use. Stored water can be filtered and treated for
domestic use.
6. Analyze usage patterns and devise a method for reducing
consumption.
"Blue Gold: World Water Wars"
Water in Utah
No comments:
Post a Comment