Why save water?

Question

With the "green" movement among us, I have been hearing so much about conserving water. Could someone explain to me how using less water helps the environment? I understand that we have only so much fresh water, but with water treatment facilities, we are recycling the water. To be honest the only benefit seems to be a lower monthly water bill.

Answer 1

because there is so little that is potable

25% of the planets surface is land

75%of the surface is water and it is rising

------------------------------...

97%of the Earths water is salt

fresh water is only 3% of all the Earths water

most of it is beyond out reach

now much ice is melting and running into the seas fresh water lost for ever.

STORAGE or Location of % of the fresh water

ice and glaziers 74%

groundwater 800 meters + 13.5 %

groundwater less than 800meters 11.o%

Lakes 0.3%

soils 0.006%

Atmospheric in circulation 0.0035%

rivers 0.03%

frozen land or permafrost is not included and represent an unavailable storage of 40%

so of the 3% about 11.6 ,is easily available to us ,in rivers, lakes and ground water surface aquifers,more and more of this is becoming contaminated

overpopulation of an extra 70 million people a year (increasing all the time )and expanding agriculture ,which uses 70% of available potable water supplies ,has brought the good(sweet) water supplies to critical levels ,some countries have been in trouble already quite a while .

Now climate change and desertification, because of irresponsible agriculture ,overgrazing and deforestation is damaging world fresh water production .

It is a good reason for concern and if we do not rectify matters by changing agricultural methods ,reforest ,stop deforestation,become more economic with water use ,stop producing more people ,stop wasting and contaminating water, we will be in serious trouble all round

and could end up looking like Mars

And these are some of the things we can do

tp conserve water use

EFFICIENT WATER USE

IN THE HOUSE

one can connect the sink straight to the toilet cistern and so use the water twice ,first to have a shave and then to flush the toilet

also if you bend the ball valve you can regulate the level of the cistern

Always have your Grey water and Black water separate,so that the sink and shower water goes directly into the garden saving on irrigation and at the same time ,making the sewage smaller and easier to deal with ,

This also goes and irrigates the garden but via a cistern of two compartments and a French drain ,on which you plant trees,

HAVE DRUMS OR A POND COLLECT WATER FROM THE ROOF OF THE HOUSE

And cars can be washed with rain water ,it does not have to be drinking water.

ON THE LAND

Only use small tractors for initial shaping and earth works

then preferably no till methods

Or use deep chisel plows sparingly to minimize disturbing the

top soil further so that organic structures remain intact and continue working ,building soil.

Do not use heavy machinery which compacts the soil and will raise salt content to the surface do not have too many Cows

which will do the same

Compacted soil does not absorb much water.

Economic systems of irrigation, like drip irrigation

and water harvesting design, using a lot of stone walls ,that condense water in the night

and planting leafy plants ,for the same purpose,

Building wind breaks ,to counter act the drying effects of the wind and farm towards Aggro forestal ,using as many trees as possible to limit evaporation .

Using shade nets before we have tree cover

and use MULCH

By cutting down the weeds before they produce seeds and leave them where they fall.

They will cover the ground add even more organic matter on top,(you can use saw dust,leaves green or dry),

Plant big leafed plant around the plots to use for mulch

Conserve soil by using compost,,Utilize all manure from the farm,

Plant DIVERSE,in guilds and companion planting to spread the chemical requirements and releases to preserve soil balance,

Have some tall scattered shading trees at intervals to break the suns rays.

And when you plant make a little space and plant in the mulch.this is the easiest quickest and by far most beneficial way(for the quality of you soil)to prepare the land for planting.

To prevent weeds from coming all you have to do it turn out the lights,you can even use cardboard or black plastic(this is good for strawberries because they will rot if they touch humid ground,and the bugs can get to them).

The humidity is preserved underneath and promotes the development of worms(there exists no better compost than their excrements)and a variety of micro biotic life which together within the mulch produce more topsoil.

The mulch also keeps the ground temperature even and guards against the impact of the rain ,which would other wise brings salt to the surface if on unprotected land.

Mulch also prevents the soil from drying out because of the sun and,wind erosion.

WATER HARVESTING

We should not only conserve Water ,we should also collect it when it rains ,make your lawn and garden receptive to absorb water ,like a giant sponge.

As far as catching rain is concerned ,we do this all the time ,and have done so already since Babylonian times,and is a part of the more advanced Agriculture,that existed with the Egyptians,,Moors, Arabs and probably many more

Central ,and South American indigenous people had this idea coupled to their pyramids ,catching the water of the slopes and leading it into tanks or onto the fields .

And many others ,today we call this WATER HARVESTING.

Only Modern Man is totally extravagant with the rain water given ,and complains of the wetness ,letting it run off into the rivers lost forever ,With out even attempting to hold on to it .

And then later complains of not having water ,when times are dryer

So initial energy on Extensive earth works to shape the land to be receptive to water absorption,is to be recommended.

Make terraces when farming on slopes

use living and any other type of barriers on steep slopes to collect and contain any organic material that is about and mobile

In Permaculture the rule is to harvest water to the point of Zero runoff.

This means that all of the rain that falls on an area is absorbed by the terrain and not a drop leaves it.

By building dams,ponds or Swales, with inter connecting ditches,

Bio swales to absorb water

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

If there are enough of these ;the places ,where before ,the rain water ran over the ground into the rivers and on to the sea ,in a matter of hours or days.

It now runs into absorbent dams or Swales and saturates the ground and eventually reaches subterranean water deposits ,taking many months to do so.

Or it fills up ponds that can be used for Aquaculture.

And so a convex situation that repels water is transformed in a concave ,absorbent one and turning the area in to a sponge.

The more holes the better and if they do not hold the water but leak ,the water is not lost it is in the ground for months

In Spain and Portugal ,which still display many examples of the conquering Moorish influence one can find many remnants of Water harvesting,such as Aqueducts and tanks underneath the patios ,which collect the rain water from the roofs ,to be used in dryer times.

In Arabia ,on a large scale ,land has been shaped to catch and lead,rain water into sandy areas or to agricultural lands.sand is almost as good as dams because it absorbs water and holds it.

Here in Mexico we collect the rainwater in our school for sustainable agriculture,but it is too near Acapulco to trust the rain water for drinking ,and this holds true for most places ,so we use it for irrigation.The rain water from a gutter runs via a filter into a tank.

In Europe in my parents house ,when i was young ,we had a rain barrel,where the water from the gutter ended up .

this was usual in those days ,but i have seen few in modern times.

We can use this concept also in other ways ,

for example the roof water from the rain,via a ditch can run trough the chicken house ,cleaning it and end up fertilizing the vegetable plot

(this is called the creation of energy flow).

This water used to be Ok in times gone by before Air pollution ,

Today i would recommend it only for washing and irrigation

For more information on Water Harvesting

read The Permaculture designers manual by Bill Mollison,which cost about 40 dollars.

and is the best all round book you can get,on Environmental design,.(tagiari publishing, [e-mail])

Answer 2

I don't know I waste tons of water.

Answer 3

The area you live in may a great deal of water available, but here in Las Vegas we could run out of fresh water. So any thing you do conserving water helps not only the environment, but everyone.

Answer 4

You can't grow crops in salt water.  If there is only 3% of fresh water in the world, then the problem arises that not only are people drinking it and flushing it down their toilet, but we are also eating it in our vegetables and fruits, even our bread and meat.  Most of the places that grow crops, such as the mid west in the US and the counties in Mexico that export the most crops, don't have  a fresh water source near by and aqueduct the water to them from other states.  

Even where I am from in Western WA water is moved from the western side of the state to the eastern side in the middle of summer so that they can grow hops, potatoes, Walla Walla  onions, etc.  We get the most rain of almost every state and still even we have to be aware of the role water plays.  

The recycling process of water loses almost 5-8% of the water as it is recycled due to the system of steaming and purifying.  that means that it takes only about 10 recycles to lose most of the water.  

Hope this helped clarify it a little for you.  Also if your worried about your contribution or your getting info based on people thinking you use too much.  Do the biological footprint.  You can google it and get the site.  It will tell you everything about how much water, gas, food, and waste you use and produce.

Answer 5

Colorado is coming out of a drought, we got so use to saving water that the water bills went up because we weren't using enough.

Water conservation is being pushed because of the rising demand. For example California doesn't have enough water on its own for the major cities and so has to be piped across the Rockies. Las Vegas is continuing to use more and more water. They had green lawns and fountains while Denver lawns were turning brown. The local aquifers are also being strained by the demand, its not just going for the farms, in fact the farmers are being forced to cut back.

Answer 6

We only have a limeted amount of water... no more is ever made! Not to mention only about 3% of our water is fresh! But when ocean water is evaporated it makes more fresh water.. but then goes back to the ocean and is made salty again! With global warming... all of the ice will be melting and the oceans will be rising... so i dont see the problem either! I will do some research and get back to you!

Answer 7

You are correct sir.  It depends were you live.  If you are in an area that has a local drought, or an area that uses ground water and the level is dropping, conserving water will be the thing to do.  A pump uses very little power to circulate water.  

Waste water treatment plants put water back into a river that is probalbe cleaner than when you drink it.  They even burn some of the methane from your toilet to make power.  (depends on the size.)  

If a town pulls water from a river heading towards an ocean, then circulates back to a river there is very little benefit of conserving water.

Global warming is supposed to increase the water vapor cycle.

Answer 8

Well, that and the energy used to treat and pump that water.  Yes, the water will always be there in one form or another, it's basically the energy used to get that water processed, and to you for you to just "waste" again.  That cycle will not use up the water, just excess energy.

I think "abstractfallacy" views his water bill as a subscription.  The more you use the more you pay, so why waste it if you don't really need it?  Oh well.  I have a well, so I only worry about my electric bill.  It rains plenty here.

Answer 9

The problem is that by using too much water, if a draught should occur then  - there won't be enough water to filter from our lakes, and rivers,  for everyone and the crops won't grow. So stop the vicious cycle and conserve.

Answer 10

The main reason is that most cities are located far away from a natural water source, and so water must be pumped in from somewhere else. As water is continuously pumped in, it often drains lakes, ponds, streams, et cetera which is very bad for the ecosystem from which the water was taken. So yes, water is renewable and isn't actually lost forever, but it is the change in its distribution that is harmful, and often expensive to replace.

Answer 11

Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach. To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world's water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use. Also, we need to drink water to live. Without water, the whole planet would be simply....dead!!

Answer 12

Conserving water is as important as conserving oil.  Because of climate change wate is more important that ever.  If we waste all of the fresh water we have there will be none left, think of it like this, in about 100 yrs all the low lying areas will be flooded with water, none of which will be fresh though, all of the water will be salty, and unusable.  Most water is recycled though, but it still will disappear on us, eventually, remember nothing last forever.

Answer 13

maybe to you, but there is only a little fresh water left on earth and if we run out then there will not be any left and there will be no point in living. water cost a lot to refine and purify. and whats wrong with saving money on water to pay more for gas.

Answer 14

I can't explain it. I pay my water bill so I'm using the S**t out of it. s***w "green."

You're right pancake. I shouldn't use so much because the more I use the more I pay. I'm just not an environmentalist and it gets me going when I hear the word "conserve."

Answer 15

We only have so much water.  It's an extremely important resource and we couldn't live without it.  The plants and livestock that we use for food and clothing and shelter...

And your point about the water recycling plants is good but more and more water is becoming polluted and the water recycling plants use fossil fuels which then send waste back up into the air.  Then it lands in the water and starts the whole cycle over again.  And if you look at places like Africa that have ongoing droughts you can see the affects of all that wastefulness.  Again water is a very important resource that we shouldn't take for granted.

Answer 16

i guess we'd like some fresh water for the future.....honestly.. i think i see your point of view.. and now i'm confused too