Solutions To Water Crisis

By Sandra J. Richardson


California is one of the most heavily populated regions in the United States, and requires a tremendous amount of water. Unfortunately, most of California is arid, with little in the way of local water resources. Los Angeles and the farms of the Inland Empire are sustained with water that is imported, whether it is from distant snow packs or the Colorado River. Unfortunately, the California water crisis has demonstrated that the demand for clean water is rapidly out pacing available supplies.

The Rise of Demand in California As California has continued to grow, the demand for potable water has radically increased. This is not simply for drinking, as industry, farming, and recreation all require vast amounts of H2O. Lush and green golf courses, gardens and landscapes all demand extensive watering, especially when they use plants that are not native to California's arid conditions.

Before retirement, I was in the car wash business, and obviously water is quite important for work, and as cities hit Level II Droughts, generally the local municipalities, or county governments make car washes them severely ration the amount of water they get, and at Level III Drought, they are most often required to shut down. Imagine having your business shut down because there was no water, and you needed it to clean the cars? Indeed, that would be considered business disaster 101 crisis mode.

Yes, it seems rather funny that we live on a planet which is covered two thirds by water, but most of it is salt water, and there is only 2.5% which is fresh water, and that includes groundwater, the water in rivers, lakes, underground, and in reservoirs. Also, unfortunately it is not evenly distributed, and it certainly is a distributed the way human populations are around the globe.

Towards A Way to Improve the Situation The water crisis witness today is not about having too little water to satisfy our needs but rather a crisis of bad management of water. With the current state of affairs, corrective measures still can be taken to check the worsening situation. There is an increasing awareness that our freshwater resources are limited and need to be protected both in terms of quantity and quality. This water challenge affects not only the water community, but also decision-makers and every human being.

These techniques can include the following: a) Using native Californian plants to reduce H2O usage for landscaping. b) Replacing older plumbing systems with modern efficient toilets, showers and washing machines. c) Watering lawns at dusk and nighttime rather than watering them during the day. d) Minimizing the use of H2O for unnecessary purposes such as washing cars or driveways.

Creating a Sustainable Water Use Policy By avoiding the overuse of water, Californians can beat the California water crisis and ensure that the state retains sufficient reserves for its current and future needs. Creating a sustainable strategy for water usage and securing the state's future is a mission that requires the assistance of every California citizen.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment