Water is essential to all life forms and, without it, there would be no life on Earth. Fresh water is precious and limited. People, animals, and crops would die for lack of fresh water. The oceans support many species of plants and animal although we cannot use it without desalination. Studies show that the average American uses 176 gallons of water each day while the average African family uses only four gallons of water ("Water Facts | The Water Information Program"). If we do not limit our water consumption, we will eventually deplete our supply. The earth is seventy percent covered in water, but less than one percent of the world’s existing water source is safe for human consumption. In Southern California, Governor Brown ordered a twenty …show more content…
The average American showers for 8.2 minutes which uses 17.2 gallons of water ("Water Facts | The Water Information Program"). Because of this statistic, I have been researching ways that people could possibly reduce their water usage. In my research, I read about a shower that reuses its own water. Instead of going down the drain, the water drains through a filter and is pumped back to the faucet. It reduces water usage by ninety percent and, because the water retains some of its heat, it also reduces energy usage by eighty percent. Therefore, when an American takes an 8.2 minute daily shower, only 1.72 gallons would go down the drain which would save 15.48 gallons of water ("Recycling Closed-loop Shower."). However, the cost of this innovative shower is greater than two thousand dollars, which is very costly for most people in the United States and around the world. If we can find a way to do this at an affordable cost, then, we would be changing the …show more content…
Instead of adorning the shower with expensive stainless steel, people can use fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). It runs about thirty dollars for a four by eight sheet. The plastic is a cheap alternative to it and looks just as nice as the stainless steel. Also, people can save money by switching out the faucet types. On many online sites, chrome or nickel faucets are only about one hundred dollars to buy. This is very cheap compared to the expensive faucets and stainless steel wall the shower is equipped with. The upfront cost of this shower is expensive, but people can cut down the cost by swapping out the stainless steel wall and faucets for cheaper materials, like the FRP and chrome faucets. Also, the shower will save many people up $8,707 a year. So the upfront cost of more than two thousand dollars is a little price to pay if people are saving eight thousand a
Humans need water. In a world that is overpopulated, we use a lot of water and other natural resources. Currently, in our world, clean water is getting scarce. Recently, for example, Flint, Michigan, had a water crisis. In early 2016, the water was discovered to be tainted with lead and other toxins. Long before that, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and Governor Rick Snyder along with his council, knew about the lead, but to save money for the city of Flint in early 2014 Snyder had changed the city’s water source to the Flint River which had corroded pipes, causing people of all ages to be sick from the high amounts of lead
The California water drought has been declared a crisis by the governor of California. 2013 was the driest year on record, and California could be running out of water. Californians should be water wise, and their use, or no use, of water will have an enormous impact on this drought. They can use the techniques published in a recent Time article called, 5 Ways to Bust California’s Drought, to reduce their water use. Landscape techniques, alternate water sources, and the personal conservation of water can reduce the use of water, and can have a positive change on this water crisis.
Although water is all around, very little is drinkable. Six billion people live on earth and 1.1 billion in 31 countries are unable to access safe, clean drinking water. California has only 20 years of water supply left. Ironically, even the wettest place on earth, Cherrapunji, India, has often water shortages. After years of millions of people dying of thirst and disease, a corporate movement to find a solution to the water crisis has now swept the world. Water, a fleeting resource vital to every life, every single day of the year, is now being taken out of the governments control and becoming a commodity bought and sold by big business, a.k.a privatization.
This is not a problem which is limited to the developing world either, as even the United States has also been experiencing the effects of water shortages in recent years. In the US, the average citizen uses more than three times the amount of water as many European countries (Data 360). A key difference between the US and the European continent is the geographical variation. A majority of the large cities in America where water is becoming more scarce are located in the West and are surrounded by arid landscapes, although it should be noted that shortages are not limited to this area alone (The Atlantic). Most water usage in the country is reserved for irrigation of farmland, general landscaping, and home use (EPA). It is estimated by the EPA that the average family uses over 400 gallons of water every day, and that the cumulative volume of water used in homes is much less than the former two greatest uses. Not only is extreme overuse a problem, but seasonal droughts have become increasingly frequent throughout the US. Here, we will look more closely at the causes, effects, and implications of water shortages across the United States and beyond.
For about five years California has experienced above average temperatures and a lack of rain. This lack of rain and snowfall has caused California to become increasingly dry, starting arguments over whose right to water is more important and who needs to be more mindful with their use of water. Farming in California truly began during the gold rush when water was redirected to land where food was grown for those looking for gold (Siegler, 2015). The farmers that have stayed on that land now have senior water rights (“Water wars”, 2015). Farmers that settled their land before 1914 are those with senior water rights (Terrell, 2015). Governor Jerry Brown has called for a cut in water use by one-quarter percent to people living
Every individual should have access to free potable water; sadly it isn’t true for many. California suffered its worst drought in 1200 plus years in 2013, the mega food corporation was operating plants in the state and harvesting water during the driest year in California’s
What do you assume would happen if you ran out of water? Your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it's important to rehydrate by drinking fluids and eating foods that contain water. In the town of East Porterville, they have not had water in 5 months. Life is legitimately dreadful for them. They can not do basic effects that involve using water. I do envision that California should control phreatic water. In my opinion, I do believe that we should have regulation on how our own selves benefit from the water. Even though farmers understand that they also need water for farming and California is known for farming.
Due to the decreased rainfall in the past five years for the state of California, drastic measures have gone into effect to save every last drop of fresh water available to the population. According to 119 years of records, the average rainfall per year for the state has also been the worst ever recorded. With such a large decrease of rainfall, California has began community based projects to help save water by setting rules within households and schools for the amount of water that can be used daily. Water related uses also account for a sizeable amount of electricity, along with natural gas and fuels that are burnt each year. Besides the community based projects, California has began to turn towards major water sources and reservoirs with projects to decrease evaporation in those sources of water.
Conserve Water at the Kitchen Sink: One can easily save up to 60 gallons of water a day by simply being aware of water usage. After a meal, scrape dishes, pans and pots clean instead of rinsing under running water. If food is stuck on, fill a sink or pan with soap and just enough cold water to cover the stuck on food. Let the item s...
It is very important to keep our planets water fresh and clean. Some people don't realize they're using lots of water. A person that takes 10 minute shower uses 17.2 gallons of water for a high pressure shower head. I tried to take a five-minute shower instead of a 10 minute shower, So I would only use about 8.6 gallons of water instead of 17.2 gallons of water. I think this would save some water because two people can take five minutes shower instead of one taking a 10 minute shower and using 17.2 gallons. This would save lots of water.
Water is essential for humanity’s survival, and even though the world is largely covered by water, only a small percentage is only usable for human consumption. Approximately, on average, 120,000 gallons of water are used annually for a single-family household (Galbraith). This alarming number could be reduced dramatically for the efforts of water conserving and lower water bill prices for families and subsequently saving money that could be used for other expenses. Thus, conserving water would prove beneficial and advantageous to not just Texas, but for everyone else as well. Although environmental policies have been not as popular with Congress and the state legislature, it is still an important problem to consider since there are only a limited amount of resources for public use, such as water.
Water is on of the most precious natural resources that exist on our planet. “It is delivered from the atmosphere in the form of rain, snow, hail, fog, and condensation and returns to the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration” (Hannigan 1969). Although many of us love activities that have to do with water, we disregard it and pollute out rivers, lakes and oceans. Slowly but surely we are going to harm out planet till no return. Protecting and conserving nature will secure a better future. 71% of earth is covered with oceans. Sounds like a lot right? Imagine ...
Freshwater in the world makes up only a small portion of water on the planet. While the percentage of water in the world is nearly 70%, only 2.5% is consumable. Even further, only <1% is easily accessible to basic human needs. According to National Geographic, “by 2025, an estimated 1.8 billion people will live in areas plagued by water scarcity, with two-thirds of the world's population living in water-stressed regions as a result of use, growth, and climate change.” With this current trend, water will become more immersed in environmental, economic, political, and social changes. Many of these in later years shall need to be addressed as tension rises:
People don’t appreciated the many advantages that comes with having clean potable water to use, taking it for granted. A lot of clean useful water is wasted by humans all the time that people don’t care about saving water because they have easy access to it. Clean and safe drinkable water resources are getting scarce as the population grows. The world is facing many problems, but the most important needed to survive, is water. Water is getting low in many countries, therefore habitants are suffering the misfortune of not having the reliable source of clean water. Today many countries are having water shortages; meaning rivers, lakes, streams and groundwater are not enough to rely on for supplying water demands. For example, California is facing a drastic water shortage, the natural water resources are not enough to fulfill their water demands. Water shortage affects the agricultural sector, so as a consequence the price for production
Water is the most priceless resource on our planet. Billions of gallons flow through our rivers and lakes. Millions of gallons are consumed by humans each day. Our world’s surface is seventy percent water. With so much water around us, how can 1.1 billion people still lack access to clean water (Cooper, Water Shortages)? People are already using fifty four percent of all the freshwater available on this planet (Cooper, Water Shortages). We cannot afford to neglect something so essential to our very survival. We must defend our most important natural resource—water.