Why should I worry about saving water when it is going to last forever?

Question

Why should I worry about saving water when it is going to last forever?

Answer 1

their is the same amount of water now as 50 million years ago

Answer 2

Water indeed will last forever no matter whether you save it or not.

Saving water is keeping water where you need it, and in a condition (unpolluted) that it can serve your purposes.

If we had infinite energy resources we could clean up ocean water for drinking and transport it to where we need it.

But the volume of water we need, particularly to grow our food, is just so large and increasing as we have larger population to feed.

If your community messes up the water that is flowing downstream to other communities, yes, they can filtre and treat it with chemicals so that people can actually consume it. But we do introduce a lot of contaminants we would be better to leave out of the water.

In my own situation, all of our waste water is recycled. We send none downstream. So we do not take any strong effort to 'use' less water. We do avoid putting into it any contaminant that our recycling system does not handle well. After all, it is our household that will get that contaminant back.

Answer 3

Not every body lives in your street.

That potable water will be abundant for everyone ,always ,must be a figment of your own imagination.

But you will start worrying when the price of beer goes up because of the lack of GOOD water.

In many places people die of the lack of uncontaminated water or even any water  and  will kill for it .

Now with the melting poles we are loosing 75% of all sweet water supplies on the planet.

25% of the planets surface is land

75%of the surface is SALT water ,and it is rising

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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.

I am sure this will fall on deaf ears but  these are some of the things we can do

to 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 4

There may be a seemingly unlimited supply of water out there, but the problem is much of it is unusable or in limited supply where it is needed.  When we use water is becomes polluted and usually must be cleaned before it is released as wastewater in a location away from its origin.  For example, your town may use a reservoir or groundwater source, but when that water is used it is cleaned in a wastewater plant and dumped into a stream.  That water is carried away from its orgin and can no longer be used.  Other water sources are too polluted for use to begin with.  Some water sources, like the Colorado River, are almost gone because of overuse.  The southwest wants to pump water from the Great Lakes, but those water sources are already becoming more shallow every year because of overuse.  So it is important to reduce water use.  But it's like gas, no one will cut use until it is too expensive, and then it's too late.

Answer 5

Define, forever......

Define, clean drinking water.......

Answer 6

It does take energy to provide you with that water. Pumping it, cleaning it, and disposing of waste water all use energy. In addition, it takes energy to make the plastic and metal pipes that carry the water.

Wasting it costs you money.

Answer 7

We have the technology to move past the carbon debate. We do not have time to go through the government red tape. With oil on the decline, we have to make massive changes, swiftly. But we have to take the time to get it right. We can not do this twice, or three times - like in the past; we have to put our money in the best return on investments and where we get multiple benefits. We have had most of this technology for 20 years but have not implemented it. We know what is cost effective; we know where we need better technology. Without governments mandating renewable resources that do not harm the environment, we are doomed. The fossil fuel depression with global warming will be the worst economic downturn in world history. But this is not doom and gloom; we have the ability to fix our mess and enough time. Solar Concentrating Electric Power Plants, wind, wave, small hydro-electric, geothermal, and nuclear energy are what we need. We must have a pollution surcharge where we pay the real price (health effects, global warming and cleanup) for oil, natural gas, coal, cigarettes, cooling towers, cars, trains and airplanes. Raising the price of fossil fuel today gives us more time to solve these problems and helps pay for the 20 Trillion Dollars worth of renewable energy over the next 10 years. Remember knowledge is power and this information is very powerful. Humans have 50 trillion dollars worth of stuff that runs on cheep oil, natural gas, or coal.

I attended the Focus the Nation at Sierra College on 1-31-08. The event was the 2% Solution, a 2% reduction over 40 years to solve global warming. Oil is a nonrenewable resource and we are running out-but not soon – anyone now want to pay $30 per gallon for gas. The problem is the oil will be gone in less than 30 years at present rates of consumption without projected increases and shortages (gone at least to run cars, heat homes, power electric plants or air travel). The 2% Solution is ok for the USA for a 10 year plan to cut 20%, but I would prefer a 5% Solution over the next 10 years for a 50% reduction. At the same time, we have to be building renewable energy so at the end of 10 years we can cut an additional 20%. With the peak of oil in the 1970’s, peak NG in the 1990’s, having mined cheep coal, the peak of ocean fishing in the 1980’s, and the peak of uranium in the 1990’s, humans must stop procrastinating and make real changes to keep earth sustainable including in the energy debate, finance and regulation. Over the next 90 years carbon dioxide is projected to skyrocket as human’s burn more fossil fuels, but we have to come up with what will take its place and cleanup our mess. One of the big problems we have is at some time Yellowstone will blow its top again, as the magma move closer to the surface, creating a nuk winter. After that we will not have to worry about the destruction of the ozone layer, global warming or pollution.

Many of mankind’s advancements cause earth surface to warm, destroy the ozone layer, kill off endanger species, heat cities, and in some way cause more dramatic destruction.  Blacktop and buildings (roads, roofs and parking lots-heat cities), deforestation (air pollution, soil erosion), duststorms (increase hurricanes and cyclones, cause lung diseases), fires (cause pollution, mud slides, and deforestation), refrigerants (like CFC's) and solvents (including benzene destroy the ozone layer raising skin cancer rates) and plastics; cars, airplanes, ships and most electricity production (causes pollution including raised CO2 levels and increased lung and other diseases); these human problems we must fix to keep life on earth sustainable! Humans have destroyed half of the wetlands, cut down nearly half of the rain forest, and advance on the earths grasslands while advancing desertification which increases duststorms.

The result is:  change is on the way, we just do not know what changes (where and when). Look beyond the hype, beyond the weather, beyond a quarterly report and beyond today. President Bush has made a choice of energy (ethanol) over food and feeding the starving people around the world; this is a choice China has rejected. The fact is Bush wants to buy food from out side the USA to send to starving people since our grain is not available. Now what USA Presidential candidate is giving you the facts so you can make an educated decision of which one to vote for?

But with that we must understand we have never seen what is now happening before. CO2 has never lead to temperature change, but temperature change has led to increases in CO2. The models have to be made as we go along with current evidence! But again adding a small amount of CO2 to the atmosphere enlarges the earths sun collection causing warming; increase water in the atmosphere and it forms clouds cooling earth but sometimes causing flooding. Even natural events are warming earth and causing destruction. The sun has an increased magnetic field causing increases in earthquakes (more destruction), volcanoes (wow, great destruction), and sun spots. Lighting produces ozone near the surface (raising air pollution levels). The USA Mayor's have taken a stand and I believe are on the right track, we can have control and can have economic growth. The sun is available to produce energy, bring light to buildings and makes most of human’s fresh water. Composting is the answer to desertification. New dams are the answer to fresh water storage, energy and cooling earth by evaporation, we need many small ones all over (California needs 100 by 2012 and we are far behind).

That is why I founded CoolingEarth.org, a geoengineering web sight where you can learn more about earth, the atmosphere, and how to sustain life on earth’s surface. Watch for changes in the sight coming soon.

Answer 8

It may be available forever but will it be suitable to drink. Humans can clean it but animals can't. If animals die we die. Balance of nature.

Answer 9

Usable or easily accessible water makes up only about 0.2% of total water.  Most of the water is in the ocean.

If you live in a "water rich area" it may not make much of a difference but depending upon where you live and where your water comes from it can have drastic affects on the local reservoir or groundwater.  

Not to mention it will cost you more money if you use too much:-)