Water Shortage
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The great basin of the Columbia river expects a summer shortage of water. And residents are asked to conserve. I find it impossible to think of conserving water while in the shower, with a deluge of hot water caressing my sleepy self. Can I justify using thirty gallons of water on a daily exercise that I insist is necessary to my health and well-being? As long as the Columbia river flows out of the Athabascan ice fields, I probably will. |
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Perhaps conserving water is an illusion but depleted aquifers cannot surrender water they do not have. Sure, water falls as rain or snow and flows back into streams but for water to soak into the ground takes a long time. Groundwater near rivers may be replenished more quickly after wells withdraw water. In the great plains of the USA groundwater comes from great distances. For instance, wells in eastern Nebraska pump water soaked into the ground in the limestone of the Colorado Rockies hundreds of miles away. If water is pumped out faster than it is replaced, wells will have to be drilled deeper and deeper.. |
| When wells go dry, the past historic dust bowl will probably return, perhaps even creating a new desert. Depletion of forests all over the world influences rainfall, but saving those forests does not guarantee that rain will fall where it will soak into the ground where it is demanded by huge populations or enormous agricultural fields. |
| There is hope. We must be more thoughtful about why we want water and make demands accordingly. |