Water Shortages

[imagine2frolic]

Every since the drought in Ca. in the early 70's I have learned to conserve water. I have kept those habits alive all this time. Since I started living on sailboats I have learned to take a shower with less than 2 gallons of water.
This even though I stand under cars all day long with all kinds of grime, and dust falling on me.

I brush my teeth with 3 palms of water. One to wet my mouth, and the second two handfuls to rinse my mouth. I water my lawn manually, and at night, so my timer never duplicates rain that has fallen. In the shower I wet myself then turn off the water, and then soap up. Rinsing from head to toe. The water never runs with out doing something. I stack dishes, and utensils, and then once again I do the dishes like I am taking a shower.

We can go a long time without food. Water is the precious source of life. First of all we have to many people using the resource. Second most people just let it run down the drain, or into the gutter while washing the car.

All the people that lived in Calif through the drought can understand what Georgia is going through. I am hoping they are all breaking those bad water usage habits.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071020/...uJKx43fgqs0NUE

[J. T. Toad]

CA? Conservation? my arshe....

water here is a commodity like any other. Those who pay; get. Regardless of how it is obtained (natural run-off, reservoir, pumped) conservation policies are a ploy to allow the water to be distributed haphazardly.

sigh, sorry, never mind this post

[trularin]

I think is the first year in a long time the Governor of Michigan put out a no burning order...from lack of rain.

I can understand the water conservation thing.

[Ron61]

J.T.,

One slight correction to you those who pay get what they want. About a month ago there was a demand from the big money factions down South for more water from Shasta Lake. They never got it as there isn't any. In fact they may be crying for electricity soon if we don't get some rain as they are talking of having to shut down at least one of the generators and maybe two. Boy, will their lives be rough then. No water to fill their pools and limited electricity to cool their mansions. Here we have had the water patrol a couple of years and now they are thinking of bring it back. If your lawn is green or they find out you washed a car the fine is $500 for the first time I think it used to be. Just not a lot of water left in the lake right now, no matter how many pictures they show near the dam where it is the deepest. No amount of money is going to get what isn't there.
Why don't they spend some of their billions and build some desalination plants down there? That is all that Saudi Arabia has for fresh water and they work.

Ron

[Madmiles442]

We have conservation measures every summer where you can only water your lawn on trash days (2x week) and no car washing, etc. I think Aussies have that year round.
The "flush 1 for pee pee" and "flush 2 for poo poo" toilets are showing up in hotels here now, where 1 is a half flush.
Some hotels ask if you don't need your towels laundered each day to hang them up and they won't launder then to save the water.
Small things I know, but I think it's a mindset.
The real difference will be made when the industries are made to conserve.

[Ron61]

Well with the big fire we have going down near Santa Barbara and in that area, I guess water conversation is out for a few days. I was just watching it on TV and they are afraid the winds are going to really spread it today. So far it has stayed mainly in the canyons and there is no way to get in there to fight it, but if it starts getting close to towns and other structures they will have to get more people down there. I have always conserved water and never water my lawns in the Summer as they just die anyway and all I have to show for it is a big water bill. And when I wash a car, I do it with about 1 gallon of water in a bucket and a T-Shirt and Absorbent Jr. Even the city mentioned my small use of water over the years compared to everyone else. And for all of that, they raised the water rates because they aren't taking in as much as they used to. Cut back on usage of everything and pay more. Makes sense I guess!!

Ron

[J. T. Toad]

Ron,

you are quite the savior, thanks to your efforts, SoCAL isn't forced to conserve as much!

[BeanCounter]

Hmm........we got 4 3/4" of rain here at the house on Wednesday and Thursday. I'm sure glad I don't live in California.

[Ron61]

Bill,

I am afraid that my not using a lot of water isn't helping anything at all. Only rain and a lot of it is going to help. Two dry years in a row and things are going to get pretty bad in some areas. I thought Fresno was hot and dry when I lived down there and worked in the fruit orchards, but at least they had water.

Ron

[Wayne Maybury]

The last time I was in Denver visiting our distributor, he explained that water from the Colorado River is going to be a major issue in the near future. The way he explained it, So Cal has been getting much more water from the river than they are supposed to receive simply because Colorado and Arizona have not been consuming the volume to which they are entitled. As Colorado and Arizona use more water, there will be less excess water for Southern California. He said that this is going to become a very sore point in years to come.

The mid west is growing record amounts of corn, mostly due to fuel alcohol. Virtually all of that corn is grown with water that is drawn up from deep wells and the water table has been falling.

The Great Lakes are now at record low levels primarily due to less than normal snow falls which reduces spring run off combined with a lack of ice which reduces evaporation during the winter months.

Wayne

[Ron61]

Wayne,

I saw on TV the other day that Phoenix I think it was is sinking from all of the water they have taken out of the ground and something has to fill in those empty caverns. Also they stated that by the time you get to the end of the Colorado River in a few years, it will be nothing but a muddy trickle. I think that Los Angles is going to be in big trouble.

Ron

[imagine2frolic]

If the illegals were booted out. That in itself would be a significant savings across the whole country. They do use every resource we have from food to fuel............

[Rick Parker]

And unlike many years ago a signigicant amount is now bottled and sitting in warehouses and on shelves waiting to be purchased, in most cases at prices more costly than gasoline. Who thought that would ever happen. It's all about $$$(period!)...

[427 S/O]

I would imagine our general assembly will propose 4 or 5 new reservoir's on the Chattahoochee?. We need em' and I want more fishing options....