Rainwater harvesting systems provide a source of clean water that comes from the sky and has a positive impact on the environment Rainwater harvesting is collecting rainfall and storing it to meet the water needs (Gelt, 2005). This type of water collecting system has been growing widely throughout the United States and other countries were they may not have a continue flow of water for their needs Harvesting rainwater for residential homes has given families to not depend on wells and municipal water systems from their town, giving the families an alternative or supplemental water source that is free of charge to use.
Rainwater collection has a long history of it being used, tracing all the way back to ancient times about 3,000 years ago (Administrator, 2005). The need for water is a basic human essential for living life, without it, no civilization could have survived During these times the simplest item such as banana leafs would be used to collect the water, channeling it into a coconut (Administrator, 2005). Leading up to the Roman Empire, which used rainwater harvesting creating a giant underground cistern in today’s Istanbul called Yerebatan Sarayi, the Sunken Palace (Administrator, 2005). It was used to collect water from the city above in an underground vault that can be navigated by boat The Roman Empire City relied on the rain, giving the people their source of water to live everyday depending on collecting system
The most common used is a rooftop rainwater harvesting system, uses six components to make up the system consisting of catchment area, coarse mesh, gutters, storage tank, conduits, and water treatment (Beers, 2011). Metal roofing is preferred material to be used, but clay, slate, and asphalt shingles can be...
... middle of paper ...
...dministrator (2005, September 8). The History of Rainwater Collection. Rainwater harvesting Guide. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.rain-barrel.net/rainwater- collection.html
Beers, S. K. (2011, January 25). Sourcing Water from the Sky. Environmental desgin & Construction. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.edcmag.com/Articles/ Feature_Article/
Gelt, J. (2005, October 15). Home Use of Graywater, Rainwater Conserves Water-and May Save Money. University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://cals.arizona.edu/AZWATER/arroyo/071rain.html
May, C. W., Horner, R. R., Karr, J. R., & Welch, E. B. Effects of urbanization on small streams in the Puget Sound lowland ecoregion. Watershed Protection Techniques 2. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.psat.wa.gov/Publications/98_proceedings/pdfs/ la_may.pdf
Drip irrigation, xeriscape, desalination, water recycling, personal water conservation, and the change of household appliances are all techniques that would have a positive effect on California’s drought. Because of the constantly growing population, the demand for water is constantly growing. To make sure that this water crisis doesn’t become vital, Californian’s should think it is their duty to help improve the situation. These improvements can be made in farmers, landscapers, and the everyday citizen. Everyone should do their part in employing these techniques, whether they take the simple approach of shortened shower times or a costly approach, and re-design their outdoor spaces to be xeriscaped and use drip systems. California’s water is precious, and it is the duty of California Citizens implement solutions to bust the water drought.
The need for a steady supply of water affected the technological developments of ancient societies in a number of ways. The first is that it affected the placement and structure of ancient cities and structures as shown in Source 8 (44), 9 (45), and 11 (46). Source 8, Sima Qian’s Description of the Building of the Zhengguo Canal, ca. 100 B.C.E., discusses the rivalry between the Han and the Chinn, which were both located along the Ching River for easy access to water. Source 9, Suetonius’s Description of the Water Projects Undertaken by Emperor Claudius (r. 41-54 C.E.), talks of how Claudius filled his city with water by using an aqueduct and making a drainage canal, completely modifying the city and the usage of water in it. Source 11, Frontinus’s Discussion of Rome’s Water System, tells of making extraordinarily high arches to get water to the upper parts of Rome so that the rich districts could simplify the process of getting water. Next is that it caused larger and more complex structures to be built which we can see by comparing different sources, for example Source 3 (43) and Source 6 (43) the technological advancement is easily seen, the Shaduf only allowed on...
As Jensen points out, farming and industry accounts for the vast majority of total water usage in the world (477). The increasingly scarce resource is a necessary ingredient when growing food. Technology continuously improves to make it easier for farmers to grow crops while using less water. Scientists at the University of Georgia utilize what they term “variable rate irrigation” to let farmers automate the current systems of irrigation to water only the crops that need it (Gies). This is an example of retrofitting current farms, but there is a new way of farming coming to cities that reuses practically all of its water and stakes claim much less acreage in the process. The future of agriculture belongs to vertical and urban farming. These types of farms reduce the use of water, chemicals (such as pesticides, herbicides and fungicides), soil and space (The Economist). These farms are so cutting edge that they are mostly in the experimental stages. Firms like Famgro farms are testing “stackable” farming systems that can scale with demand, even further reducing waste. Famgro’s stackable farms are ideal for cityscapes where land is at a premium; furthermore, reaping the added benefit of being in close proximity to the customers that they serve. Customers will enjoy high quality, fresh produce at only a slightly
Currently, over half of the world’s population lives in urban based areas (Owrangi et al, 2014), and this increase in population is expected to contribute to further increases in flood risks (ibid). Vancouver has achieved rapid socioeconomic development due to the increased employment opportunities and growth rates, directly stressing local natural resources by increasing population and urbanization (Owrangi et al, 2014).
Increase in water consumption is a topic usually discussed inasmuch as this problem affects many cities. Phoenix is located in the State of Arizona, with around 540 square miles. Moreover, according to official site of City of Phoenix, the city ranks as one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation with approximately 1.4 million people. The city of Phoenix, although it is being in an arid area, has a per capita consumption lower than expected. The consumption of water is essential for life; however, what have to be analyzed is the withdrawal of water; furthermore, the capacity of regeneration of water resources mainly for future generations, which is the concept of sustainability. There are many aspects that would influence the consumption of water; however, each city has its own particularities. Although, Phoenix when analyzed as totality does not have an excessive consumption; it is a peculiar city and if an analysis is done in small scale, such as neighborhood, it is possible to identify the major consumer of water. “Determinants of residential water demand reflect both indoor and outdoor use and including size of the houses, if the houses have swimming pools, lot size, and the prevalence of gardens and vegetation that require water.” (Elizabeth A. Wentz & Patricia Gober, 2007). In addition, according to Phoenix City, since 1881, when the city was officially incorporated, until today’s date, the city of Phoenix has been improving its own capacity to provide water for the population. Phoenix can reach 2.2 million people by the 2030 (Census Boreau, 2010). A challenge for the future is to find new resources to provide water for the population even in severe drought.
The Colorado River is formed by small streams created by a huge amount of snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains. The ecology and flow of the river varies highly by region. The river is divided into two different regions, the Upper Basin and the Lower Basin. Beginning in the early 1900s, western states began to build dams in the Colorado river, diverting the water flow to fast growing cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. The river now services over 30 million in the southwestern parts of the United States and Mexico (Patrick 1). Diverting the water of the nation’s seventh-longest river may be seen has a great accomplishment, however to others this is a great crime against nature. Over the past couple years the river has been running significantly low, since a drought has come up the southwest. At the lakes edge, “bathtub rings”, lines in the rock walls, can be seen showing the decrease in water level. It is recorded in some areas of the river that the water has lowered 130 feet since 2000. Some water resource officials say those areas will never be filled back to normal. The surrounding states must adjust to living with less water or further actions need to be taken to save the river’s water. There has been some talk about adding water to the river to replenish the river but nothing has hap...
“I think water should be free, so it started from that idea, and then it evolved from that and what kind of world would we be in the future where all commodities air, water, sunlight is sold to us” said Wanuri Kahiu, director of Pumzi(2010) (Kahiu 2:55), in an interview about her short film. In her movie she uses the setting to emphasize the harmful effects currently placed on the environment. During the movie Asha, Pumzi’s protagonist, receives a package containing soil with a high concentration of water. She leaves the city after being denied a visa, and pursues the soils original location.
In California there is a drought happening and People need water to survive.People have been trying new ideas every year but failing but we had found a new way so that the people in California could get clean water. In The water plant website they explained “It may soon help solve problems caused by California's terrible drought.The
Introduction on Water It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet.
... the use of basic and effective rainwater harvesting technologies. Coca-Cola has installed these technologies in over 200 locations to assist in recharging aquifers. (Case against Coca-Cola Kerala, n.d.)
...ds, which allow us to grow using between 50% and 90% less water than a comparable farm not practicing recirculation. Since we recirculate 100% of irrigation water, our greenhouses don't load the municipal drainage system and our plant nutrients don't end up in lakes and rivers.” If more cities use this method then we will have more water, which can be used to grow more crops to feed the world!
Smith, Zachary A., and Grenetta Thomassey. Freshwater Issues: A Reference Handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2002. Print
The article evaluates the efficiency, effectiveness, social, economic and environmental impacts of the drip irrigation system. The drip irrigation system has the potential to increase the agricultural productivity and also to reduce water usage required for irrigation. It is a system of pipes and tubing located under the soil. Water is passed through these pipes which end near the roots of the plants. This makes the water loss minimal.
Asano, T., Burton, F., Leverenz, H., Tsuchihashi, R., Tchobanoglous, G. (2007). Water Reuse: Issues, Technologies, and Applications. New York: McGraw-Hill
Rainwater harvesting provides an independent water supply during regional water restrictions and in developed countries is often used to supplement the main supply. In times of harsh weather such as droughts and floods, it provides a fresh supply of clean water as well as in cases of mitigate flooding occurring...