|
|
 |
|
|
Water usage far exceed sustainability level in the desertsouthwest, us by 123wert sdfsf
|
|
|
Water usage far exceed sustainability level in the desertsouthwest, us |
|
|
|
|
|
Business,Business News,Business Opportunities
|
|
The water supports the populations of California, Arizona, Nevada,Utah, New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming, providing for agricultureand cities. With a changing climate and continued populationgrowth, increasing demand for water may make this vital resourceincreasingly scarce. There are some safeguards in place against water scarcity. Thereservoir Lakes Mead and Powell can provide approximately fiveyears of average annual stream flow at full capacity for insuranceagainst low rainfall years.
But John Sabo, an associate professor in Arizona State University'sSchool of Life Sciences, believes that 50 years in the future --rather than five -- should be the planning mark for water usage. "My take on that is we're already beyond the point where wehave enough insurance against the bad years, which is why a yearand a half ago we started talking about water rationing before itstarted raining in December," says Sabo, who is also directorof research development in ASU's Global Institute ofSustainability. After dipping to a record low in 2011, Lake Mead presently sits atbelow half capacity, and that's with favorable rainfall andsnowpack accumulating in the Rocky Mountains, which feed theColorado. Also, to our detriment, there is a culture dedicated to creating anoasis in the Southwest's arid environment.
Most of the West's waterfalls in the mountains, where it slowly melts, We collect it andthen spread it thin across the deserts. Moving water from wet areasto dry areas makes people feel safe, according to Sabo. "We have lawns, palm trees and lush green parks because westore water from far away to offset the arid reality of thedesert," he says. Regardless of how much our lawns guzzle, the largest use of waterisn't in urban areas but in agriculture.
Farming uses 77 percent ofthe water allocated for human use in Arizona, according to theMorrison Institute for Public Policy's publication "Wateringthe Sun Corridor." For example, Southwestern farms produce approximately 75,000 acresof lettuce annually. As much as 55,000 acres of that is grown inArizona, according to University of Arizona publications. OfArizona's lettuce, 95 percent is grown in the southwestern corner,in Yuma county, which receives an average rainfall of about 3.6inches. "People might ask, why are we growing lettuce inArizona?" questions Sabo. "Well, it's because it's warmhere in the winter and people want salads in the winter.
And if youwant a salad in the winter and you don't want to wait for naturalsalad season to come around, you've got a tradeoff, and thattradeoff is the water footprint." The water footprint of produce isn't often taken intoconsideration, however. "There's this 'eat local' movement that has done a great jobto educate people about how your decisions at the supermarketrelate to your carbon footprint and climate change," saysSabo. "But there's nothing like that for water, and I thinkthere needs to be." Since most water isn't used for cities, urban lifestyle changesaren't going to do much to solve the problem. Shorter showers andeco-friendly appliances aren't enough to make a significant impacton our massive water use. Sabo proposes that the Southwest cuts its water use to 60 percent.To get there, it comes down to policy and investment ininfrastructure for the future.
"You would never know we had a water shortage here," saysSabo. "We don't pay a lot for it, we don't expect pay a lotfor it and we don't expect to have to conserve it." David White, co-director of ASU's Decision Center for a Desert City(DCDC), says that Arizona water policy has done a good job ofproviding adequate supplies for the growth of the region up to thispoint. But environmental and demographic factors will likelyrequire changes in that system. The DCDC uses research to informenvironmental policy in times of uncertainty. "We've been able to deliver a consistent and reliable amountof water to residents even though the amount of water that comesinto our system fluctuates wildly," says White.
"Thatsystem has been effective over the past 100 years under a set ofconditions and assumptions that may be changing due to climatechange, extended and prolonged droughts, and increased demand as aresult of population growth. It faces new challenges," addsWhite. Home to more than half of Arizona's population, Maricopa Countygrew by 24 percent from 2000 to 2010, according to U.S. CensusBureau data.
Additionally, "Watering the Sun Corridor,"projects the 2030 population of Phoenix and Tucson to exceed 7.8million. One way to reduce water use is through the addition of moresustainable infrastructure. According to Sabo, this would be mosteffective in areas of growth and expansion, such as Ahwatukee,Anthem and Sunrise. "Retrofitting historical Phoenix would be a pain in theneck," says Sabo.
"The idea is to build sustainableinfrastructure as we build out. Reclaimed water is cheaper to addin to unbuilt suburbs than to retrofit in older cities. When thetime comes for refurbishing the old potable infrastructure in thecentral city, then we can consider retrofitting for dualdistribution of potable water for drinking and reclaimed water forlandscape irrigation at home." Such changes would help us follow White's recommendation to stopsiphoning our limited groundwater sources and live off of renewablesurface water instead. Groundwater is water that is stored inunderground aquifers.
Although it is replenished by rainfall, weuse it much faster than it can be replaced. "Groundwater supplies a bank or a backup of water," saysWhite. "But by and large it's a nonrenewable source and weshould try to live within our means." It's unlikely that the Southwest would run out of water. But astemperatures rise and population swells, how we value our watersupply is going to change. "You're either going to have to pay more for it or you'regoing to have to pay more for your winter salad," says Sabo."Either the farms or the luxury to use water the way we do incities is going to go.". I am Incense & Incense Oil Burners writer, reports some information about 5.8 ghz antenna , garmin legend c.
Related Articles -
5.8 ghz antenna, garmin legend c,
|
Rate This Article  |
|
|
|
|
|
Do you Agree or Disagree? Have a Comment? POST IT!
| Reader Opinions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Author Login |
|
|
 |
Advertiser Login
ADVERTISE HERE NOW!
Limited Time $60 Offer!
90 Days-1.5 Million Views
|
|
TIM FAY
After 60-plus years of living, I am just trying to pass down some of the information that I have lea...more
|
|
|
|
|
ALEX BELSEY
I am the editor of QUAY Magazine, a B2B publication based in the South West of the UK. I am also the...more
|
|
|
|
|
LAURA JEEVES
At LeadGenerators, we specialise in content-led Online Marketing Strategies for our clients in the t...more
|
|
|
|
|
STEPHEN BYE
Stephen Bye is a fiction writer. His most recent novels are a 5-book “The Developer” series which be...more
|
|
|
|
|
LEVAL AINAH
I am an internet marketer and also an educator. My goal is to help others who are looking to improve...more
|
|
|
|
|
GENE MYERS
Author of four books and two screenplays; frequent magazine contributor. I have four other books "in...more
|
|
|
|
|
ADRIAN JOELE
I have been involved in nutrition and weight management for over 12 years and I like to share my kn...more
|
|
|
|
|
MICHAEL BRESCIANI
Rev Bresciani is the author of two Christian books. One book is an important and concisely written b...more
|
|
|
|
|
PAUL PHILIPS
For more articles, blog messages & videos and a free e-book download go to www.NewParadigm.ws your p...more
|
|
|
|
