http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/earth/28mead.html?ref=earth
After suffering an 11- year drought throughout the Southwest, the Colorado River is not able to keep up with the regions demands for more water. Lake Mead, the center of the lower Colorado basin’s water system, is in danger of dropping below the crucial demarcation line of 1,075 feet. If this happens, a temporary distribution plan will be put into place in seven states by the federal Bureau of Reclamation. As a result, there will be more dry lawns, shorter showers, and fallow fields in states such as Arizona or Nevada. This plan will help water managers send more water than usual downstream to Lake Mead and the levels will be restored. This is the lowest the river has been in 100 plus years, but back then there was a significantly lower demand for water due to the smaller population. One of the major cities that will be affected by the distribution is Las Vegas, which relies on Lake Mead for 90% of its water.
New York Times- September 27, 2010
This article is not necessarily biased, but the author clearly states the consequences if we do not start conserving water in the Southwestern part of the country. The article is pro environmentalist and agrees that conservation is crucial.
I
C. Global Water Resources and Use
IV
A. Agriculture
1. Feeding a growing population
I feel like this is a sad consequence of unsustainable use of water, and it should be a sign that citizens should be concerned with conserving water, so that water is available at all times. However, similar laws have been put into place in Texas as well, particularly in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, while there was a drought that drained lakes such as Lake Travis in Marble Falls. This is clearly a wide spread problem that deserves to be addressed.
ReplyDeleteThis shows the dangers of unchecked resource use. Although water is constantly renewed through the water cycle, if humans use it to fast the renewal can be interrupted. I feel like water is a resource that many people take for granted and dont really think they will ever run out so they use it freely. I believe that the limits on water use the states affected by this are a good thing because they will help with conservation and teach the people how valuable water really is. This lesson will probably stick with the people and they will conserve water more even after the restrictions are released.
ReplyDeleteThis is an example of how humans use nonrenewable resources too quickly and they can't keep up. Especially in the US we take advantage of our water and use too much of it and, although it goes through a cycle system, we use too much too fast and it cannot keep up. Although it might seem bias when the author says we need to conserve water, but it is true. We only have a certain amount of water and we must conserve it.
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