Water: Where will it come from in 2050?

[Michaelangelica]

Much of U.S. Could See a Water Shortage

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Oct 26, 2:27 PM (ET)

 

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - An epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Florida doesn't have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York's reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in the West, the Sierra Nevada snowpack is melting faster each year.

. . .

"Unfortunately, there's just not going to be any more cheap water," said Randy Brown, Pompano Beach's utilities director.

 

It's not just America's problem - it's global.

 

Australia is in the midst of a 30-year dry spell, and population growth in urban centers of sub-Saharan Africa is straining resources. Asia has 60 percent of the world's population, but only about 30 percent of its freshwater.

 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a United Nations network of scientists, said this year that by 2050 up to 2 billion people worldwide could be facing major water shortages.

Excite News - Much of U.S. Could See a Water Shortage

[Michaelangelica]

Elderly man dies 'in fight over garden hosing'

 

November 01, 2007 06:04am

Article from: AAP

 

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* Man charged with murder 'after fight over water'

* Victim, 66, reportedly hosed assailant

* Off-duty policeman intervened

 

A SYDNEY man was killed while hosing down the garden in the front yard of his home, following an alleged argument with a man over water restrictions.

Elderly man dies 'in fight over garden hosing' | NEWS.com.au

[Michaelangelica]

Greener Grass, Less Water

Scientist Measures Land Used by Lawns

 

April 1, 2006 — Using census data, satellite images, aerial photographs, and computer simulations, a NASA scientist estimated that turf grass is the single-largest irrigated crop in the United States, three times more than corn. Experts say the environmental benefits of lawns' carbon dioxide intake are not enough to offset the impact of water usage.

Greener Grass, Less Water -- Scientist Measures Land Used by Lawns

 

I haven't watered my lawn in three years.

I always cut it very high and rarely.

 

I notice it is growing higher under a outdoor table.

Why do you think that is?

It would be getting less sun there.

[Michaelangelica]

Scientists Discover New Way To Make Water

 

ScienceDaily (Nov. 1, 2007) — In a familiar high-school chemistry demonstration, an instructor first uses electricity to split liquid water into its constituent gases, hydrogen and oxygen. Then, by combining the two gases and igniting them with a spark, the instructor changes the gases back into water with a loud pop.

. . .

. . .

"Most compounds react with either hydrogen or oxygen, but this catalyst reacts with both," Heiden said. "It reacts with hydrogen to form a hydride, and then reacts with oxygen to make water; and it does this in a homogeneous, non-aqueous solvent."

 

The new catalysts could lead to eventual development of more efficient hydrogen fuel cells, substantially lowering their cost, Heiden said.

Scientists Discover New Way To Make Water

[Michaelangelica]

The Weight of Water

U.S. states face water shortages

Posted at 3:15 PM on 29 Oct 2007

The catastrophic California wildfires got all the press, but it's worth paying attention to an equally intimidating but slower-moving threat: water shortages. From Georgia to Massachusetts, Florida to New York, the Great Lakes to the West, U.S. states are getting thirstier.

In fact, the government predicts that at least 36 states will face challenges from inadequate water supplies within five years, thanks to a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, sprawl, waste, and overuse. "Is it a crisis? If we don't do some decent water planning, it could be,"

The Weight of Water | Grist | News | 29 Oct 2007

[Michaelangelica]

November 5, 2007, 11:18 am

A ‘Hidden Oasis’ in Las Vegas’s Water Waste

. . .

There’s a back to the land movement of sorts around Las Vegas these days, driven by the desert city’s growing realization that the only reason it can exist — the sapphire, but shrinking, expanse of Lake Mead 30 miles away — is not as durable as the Hoover Dam that created the reservoir 70 years ago.

 

The lake is below half its capacity after years of drought in the Colorado River basin.

 

So under turf removal programs initiated by the city and regional water agencies, homeowners and businesses have been paid up to $2 a square foot to roll up and cart away lawns and replace them with “xeriscapes,” desert-friendly plantings.

A Hidden Oasis in Las Vegass Water Waste - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog

 

I rather like my patch of lawn. It's doing its bit for the planet surely?

Many golf courses are using underground, dam or grey water.

I noticed sprinklers on at midday at the golf course last week

I thought 'that's strange I usually water at night to conserve water'. But then I thought Golfers won't be out in the sun at mid-day and greenkeepers go to bed at night so.. .

 

We have had some good rains in the last week and as I went past the golf course yesterday the greenness of the fairways was so intense -searing my eyeballs with such 'greeness'-a colour you don't often see here of late.

[InfiniteNow]

Cool special I caught on PBS tonight (not sure it was new or not) about Peak water.

 

Wired Science . Peak Water | PBS

 

Two of the fastest-growing cities in the United States - Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada - are smack in the middle of the desert. While there's plenty of land to build houses on out there, the same cannot be said of another commodity : water. With hundreds of thousands of new residents moving to those areas every year, scientists are warning that they may soon hit "peak water" - the point where there just isn't enough of the wet stuff to go around.

 

Massive-scale engineering is the only thing that makes it possible for so many folks to live in such an arid environment in the first place. The Hoover Dam, built on the Colorado River near Las Vegas in the 1930's, created Lake Mead, the nation's largest artificial body of water. The lake now provides water to Arizona, California, Nevada and northern Mexico - but after several recent years of drought, on top of ever-heavier demand, it's seriously depleted.

 

To keep its taps flowing, Phoenix has come up with a 50-year water management plan. One part of the strategy is conservation. By enforcing strict plumbing codes and restrictions on watering large turf facilities, in addition to providing low-flow toilets to low income households, the city has cut the amount of water each resident uses daily from 267 gallons in the 1980s to 198 gallons today.

 

But Phoenix isn't just cutting the amount of water it uses; they're also storing gigantic quantities of the stuff in an underground waterbank. Water from the Colorado Riveris pumped through canals and delivery channels into an interconnected set of aquifers lined with sand and gravel, creating a vast subterranean lake. Engineers control the flow in and out of this complex with a system of computer-controlled gates.

 

It's an exemplary system, but unfortunately it's also an exceptional one. Few other Southwestern cities are so well organized, hydrology-wise. WIRED SCIENCE takes you on a guided tour of Phoenix's water woes - and introduces you to some of the desert-dwelling folks outside the city with even bigger problems. And if that's not disturbing enough, check out Worldwide Water Worries for a look at other areas around the world where serious water shortages are already a dangerous reality.

[Michaelangelica]

Las vegas is PAYING people to rip up their lawns and plantdesert species like peyote

MSSmith

etc.,

SEE NY Times

A Hidden Oasis in Las Vegass Water Waste - Dot Earth - Climate Change and Sustainability - New York Times Blog

 

 

From an interesting article with a tiny hard to read -for me (need-new-glasses) font!!

EarthTrends: Feature - Will There Be Enough Water?

 

Yet another "Doom and Gloom Report"

Climate Change Could Diminish Drinking Water More Than Expected

When saltwater and fresh water meet, they mix in complex ways, depending on the texture of the sand along the coastline.

by Staff Writers

Columbus OH (SPX) Nov 07, 2007

As sea levels rise, coastal communities could lose up to 50 percent more of their fresh water supplies than previously thought, according to a new study from Ohio State University. Hydrologists here have simulated how saltwater will intrude into fresh water aquifers, given the sea level rise predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

 

A crisis? Good ! another way of making money

The World Water Crisis:

The Earth's Most Precious Resource May Be the 21st Century's Most Lucrative Investment...

Green Chip Review Signup

Consulting

If you're not a part of the solution,

there's good money to be made in prolonging the problem

:cheer:.

[Michaelangelica]

An interesting, well-produced radio documentary from the BBC

I enjoyed listening to it.

it seems Australia is not alone with water problems.

*

OnePlanet: Is Atlanta running out of water? 22 Nov 2007

 

Atlanta, one of America's biggest cities, is in the grip of a severe drought. Some estimates say it has as little as 80 days water supply left - and a dry winter is forecast. One Planet reports on the impact this is having, and asks why precious supplies are being diverted to protect mussels in Florida.

 

Duration: 26mins | File Size: 12MB

 

Download Episode

BBC - Radio - Podcasts - One Planet

[Michaelangelica]

Yet another GW worry.

Climate change will diminish fresh water resources more than expected

Medical Science News

Published: Wednesday, 7-Nov-2007

As sea levels rise, coastal communities could lose up to 50 percent more of their fresh water supplies than previously thought, according to a new study from Ohio State University.

 

Hydrologists here have simulated how saltwater will intrude into fresh water aquifers, given the sea level rise predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC has concluded that within the next 100 years, sea level could rise as much as 23 inches, flooding coasts worldwide.

Climate change will diminish fresh water resources more than expected

[Michaelangelica]

"My research has found that crumb rubber, derived from waste tires, can be used as a filter media," Xie explains. "The crumb rubber could be used for treating wastewater, ship ballast water, and storm water."

 

Crumb rubber is produced by chopping up and grinding up waste tires to a desired size, cleaning the rubber and removing any metal particles. It is currently being used in highway pavement, athletic track surfaces, playgrounds, landfill liners, compost bulking agents, various manufactured products, energy recovery and even as artificial reefs for aquatic life.

 

For traditional wastewater filtration, gravity downflow granular filters using sand or anthracite as a medium are commonly used. One major problem with these filters is that upon backwashing the particles, the larger ones settle at a greater rate than the smaller.

 

The Penn State researcher explains that this

Scrap Tires Can Be Used To Filter Wastewater

[Michaelangelica]

Will the World's Oceans Be Our Next Drinking Tap?

AlterNet: Environment: Will the World's Oceans Be Our Next Drinking Tap?

 

Newsletter Explains How to Profit from World Water Shortage

AlterNet: Blogs: Water: Newsletter Explains How to Profit from World Water Shortage

Siphoning the Globe: Water Exhibit Exposes Worldwide Crisis

AlterNet: Environment: Siphoning the Globe: Water Exhibit Exposes Worldwide Crisis

[Michaelangelica]

International law and water

It's Time for the UN to Make Water a Human Right

 

By Maude Barlow, Movement Vision Lab. Posted February 21, 2008.

 

The global water crisis is evident. We need a global solution in form of a United Nations covenant on water.

AlterNet: Water: It's Time for the UN to Make Water a Human Right

[Michaelangelica]

Water is now a $400 billion global industry, the third-largest behind electricity and oil.

An interview with international water guru Maude Barlow and clips from the new documentary Flow: For Love of Water.

Today we're going to spend the rest of the hour looking at the global water crisis. Flow: For Love of Water is a new documentary screened here in New York. The film examines how the world's water supplies are diminishing and how the privatization of water is worsening the crisis.

 

PETER H. GLEICK: For the longest time, people have taken water for granted. Most people don't think about where their water comes from. They just turn on the tap, and they expect it to be there. Those days are ending.

 

MAUDE BARLOW: This notion that we'll have water forever is wrong. California is running out. It's got 20-some years of water. New Mexico has got 10, although they're building golf courses as fast as they can, so maybe they can whittle that down to five. Arizona, Florida, even the Great Lakes now, there's huge new demand.

 

PETER H. GLEICK: The Nile River doesn't reach its end. The Colorado River, the Yellow River in China, they, for the most part, don't flow anymore to the sea.

 

MAUDE BARLOW: So this notion that somehow these problems are far away, get rid of t

AlterNet: Water: The Corporate Threat to Water and the Water Justice Movement's Fight to Protect it

On one page

AlterNet: Water: The Corporate Threat to Water and the Water Justice Movement's Fight to Protect it

[Michaelangelica]

The right to use water will soon follow in the footsteps of carbon emissions and become a commodity, like the right to pollute, that industry will have to pay for, executives have warned.

. . .

Neil Eckert, chief executive of Climate Exchange, the carbon trading system, believes a cap-and-trade system like the one Europe has established to regulate CO2 emissions could be a solution. "If there is not enough of something, you ration it. Once you ration it, you create a secondary market, and it starts to be traded," he said.

. . .

Last year, Coca-Cola made a public pledge to cut its water usage in response to harsh criticism amid a drought in Atlanta

Water Is the Next Commodified Resource | Water | AlterNet

Coca Cola is also embroiled in a court case in Gosford NSW Australia about ripping off underground water.

[InfiniteNow]

I learned of the name Brian Fagan on the Daily Show last night, who's written a book called "The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations." It appears to be a very historical view of how past droughts have caused many civilizations in human history to war with one another and ultimately fail. It sounds as if it's a great read, and not littered with the usual inherent politicization that most GW books are. Check it out. :phones:

 

 

The clip which alerted me to the book:

 

Brian Fagan | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

 

 

The author's site:

 

Brian Fagan

 

 

Amazon:

Amazon.com: The Great Warming: Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations: Brian Fagan: Books http://www.amazon.com/Great-Warming-Climate-Change-Civilizations/dp/1596913924/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205844760&sr=8-1

 

 

Reviews from the Amazon link:

Global warming is hardly new; in fact, the very long-term trend began about 12,000 years ago with the end of the Ice Age. Anthropologist Fagan (The Little Ice Age) focuses on the medieval warming period (ca. 800-1300), which helped Europe produce larger harvests; the surpluses helped fund the great cathedrals. But in many other parts of the world, says Fagan, changing water and air currents led to drought and malnutrition, for instance among the Native Americans of Northern California, whose key acorn harvests largely failed. Long-term drought contributed to the collapse of the Mayan civilization, and fluctuations in temperature contributed to, and inhibited, Mongol incursions into Europe. Fagan reveals how new research methods like ice borings, satellite observations and computer modeling have sharpened our understanding of meteorological trends in prehistorical times and preliterate cultures. Finally, he notes how times of intense, sustained global warming can have particularly dire consequences; for example, by 2025, an estimated 2.8 billion of us will live in areas with increasingly scarce water resources. Looking backward, Fagan presents a well-documented warning to those who choose to look forward. Illus., maps. (Mar.)

 

Climate has been making history for a very long time, though historians have rarely paid much attention to it. But as it turns out, a few less inches of rain, a change in temperature of just a degree or two can make all the difference in how human events unfold. The Great Warming demonstrates that although human beings make history, they very definitely do not make it under circumstances of their own choosing.

 

 

"Drought is the pink elephant in the room that nobody seems to bring up when it comes to the global warming debate."

[Zythryn]

Interesting discussion about water on NPR science Friday right now. For anyone that is interested.