Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink


Recently, I moved from Denver, CO to Wichita, KS. This was more of a forced move than a "Hey, Kansas is great! I want to move there!" kind of move. It seemed like right at the state border, the humidity enveloped us like a stifling, wet blanket. We began to speculate why it could be so humid in the middle of the continent; I mean, Kansas is about as far away from an ocean as you can get in the United States. Digging through my environmental brain, I began to wonder if it could have anything to do with the Ogallala Aquifer, which lies underneath the Midwest, occupying 174,000 square miles. It made sense to me, but, my ever-wandering mind decided to continue researching the aquifer. What I learned startled me. This water, which is the primary source of water for the High Plains region, is not only being depleted, but it is also being polluted. It took 10 million years to make something that we will almost undoubtedly deplete within the next fifty. Yikes.


So, I became very conscious about my water use.

In Colorado, we often faced summers of extreme drought, in which watering policies are enforced. Typically, the policy allows for lawn watering every third day of the week, for a specific amount of time during the day. This policy is effective at limiting water use, but it also has drawbacks. Often, in the strong Colorado sun, with the dry mountain air, our lawns and plants require much more water to survive. Monitoring that type of policy is next to impossible. The policy also doesn't address the exorbitant amounts of water being used in the household. I cease to understand how that type of policy is even remotely effective.

Another more viable solution is block-pricing policies. This type of policy charges a set amount for the first share, and the price goes up incrementally per share used. This type of policy effectively limits the amount of water being used both inside and outside the home, and requires no monitoring system. It is up to the individual to decide how to prioritize their water use, which will make us think twice about whether we want a nice, long shower, or a nice, green lawn.

For landscaping purposes, I believe that the block pricing method would be more effective than the watering policies. Sprinkler systems are becoming more and more efficient, which allows for less water to cover a larger area. Our thirsty plants get a little drink every day, we enjoy our green lawns and pretty flowers, and if we have overindulged, we pay extra for the water we use.

Tradable water permits would also be an interesting concept to explore, especially if you lived somewhere like San Diego. Permits could be purchased for a specific amount of water, and at the end of the day (so to speak), if you didn't use all your water, you could sell a permit to the guy across the street who needs extra water for his hydroponic vegetable garden. Everybody is happy.

In the environment, systems are either open or closed. While water is a replenishable source, it is a closed system. Each and every drop of water on this earth at this moment is all the water we will ever have. By way of the hydrologic cycle, it moves through phases of evaporation, condensation, transportation, precipitation, or transpiration. The reason water is considered a scarce resource is because only 2.5% of the earth's water is freshwater. The rest is saltwater, which is extremely costly to convert to freshwater.

So next time you wash dishes, or brush your teeth, or take a shower, remember, we need water to live, and if you care at all about future generations, turn the faucet off.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Delicate Balance of Environmental Policy

Image
Today, there seem to be an insurmountable number of environmental dilemmas creeping up, which begs the question of how they will ever all be dealt with. Environmental policy is often complicated and it often takes a very specific approach to come up with a solution for these problems. Often, the solution lies in either command-and-control policies, or market-based solutions. Command-and-control policies are cut-and-dried. A limit is set, and those who exceed the limit pay a hefty fine. Market-based solutions allow for more flexibility and creativity, and provide incentives to not only meet a specification, but to go above and beyond. Depending on the situation, one method is often more effective than the other.  For example, the industrial park up the road is infamous for dumping waste into the river. For years, the command-and-control policy has allowed a certain amount of waste to be deposited into the river, but it can be hard to monitor exactly  how much  waste they a...
Read more

It's not my problem... Or is it?

   Renewable energy has become a topic of great debate in recent years. On the surface, it appears to be the answer to the arising problem of resource depletion, pollution, and climate change. Beneath the surface, both literally and figuratively, externalities lurk. In the Pacific Northwest, the Chinook Salmon holds a high spot on the ecological totem pole. The salmon proves to be a keystone species, supporting the bears, birds, and other wildlife in the region, as well as a valuable food source for tribes in the area. For example, the Spokane Tribe of Washington, which has inhabited Washington for many centuries, relies heavily on salmon as a primary food source. Without it, there are threats of starvation. While this may not effect you or I directly, millions of lives are changed drastically, even, and especially, those who don’t benefit from the hydroelectric power itself. A Pigouvian tax is an excellent solution to some problems, but not to others. You can’t pay a bird to ...
Read more

Here. . . Fishy, Fishy!

Image
Over the summer, I was lucky enough to spend a lot of time paddleboarding at Sylvan Lake. One of my favorite spots is on the far end of the lake, where you can look into the clear, deep water and see the shimmering bodies of the fish glistening in the sun. It is such a peaceful feeling to be that close to nature. Between over-fishing and pollution, many species are threatened. While pollution may be hard to control, what can we do about over-fishing? When a fishery is managed using maximum sustainable yield policies, the goal is to maintain the population by removing the fish that are being added to the population, thus ensuring sustainable population growth, without the threat of overgrowth. It was not uncommon to see a large number of people dotting the shoreline of the lake or relaxing in their boats, fishing poles in hand, each time I visited. This summer, that is not surprising. Next spring, they will be draining the lake to reconstruct the dam, so bag limits were lifted at the en...
Read more