The United States has several methods of addressing water shortages.
Reclamation
Importing water from other regions
Drilling more wells
Desalination
The problem with these methods is that:
1) Drilling more wells further depletes an already depleted system. What's needed is recharging the aquifers before they collapse.
2) Importing water from other regions reduces the water resources in
that region, which can endanger the farms, wilderness areas, and
communities where the water is being taken. This can cause disputes or
"Water Wars". ( Desert Beacon )
3) Desalination puts triple concentrated brine into the ocean or
landfills. Near rivers, it causes fresh water spawning fish like
bullhead and salmon to not be able to smell their grounds. Thus, they
die in the ocean without reproducing. In Australia, it has been shown
to damage sea plants, fine plankton, and other small sea life that
other larger fish are dependent upon. ( WWF, )
4) Reclamation is the process of filtering, sterilizing and reusing grey, and even black water and putting it back into community use. This is wise, however; removing the numerous pesticides, partially digested pharmaceuticals, ground contamination is very difficult. Perchlorate, a rocket fuel has been found in some regions in California for example and can be very difficult to clean up.
According to National Geographic, water has been collected off trees for 2000 years. Also, this method is collecting 660 gallons per day in the months from June to November.
Chili--In the Atacama Desert, Chili --according to National Geographic the driest place on earth with only 1mm of rainfall each year, fog fences are being used to harvest water. The research and development of this ancient technology is partnered with the IRDC.
Activism and Solutions
Around the world, people are looking for solutions to their own water shortage. This section examines the pros and cons of some of the most common methods. We will also discuss the "Water Footprint". How much water are you, your business using to sustain yourself? How much water is being wasted? How can we conserve our most precious resource---water!
The next Water Footprint Summit is scheduled to meet August 4, 2009
Participants include:
Anglo American, Borealis Polymers, Better Sugar Cane Initiative,Cisco
Systems, Coca-Cola Europe, Diageo, DSM, European Water Partnership,
Henkel, Nestlé, Royal Dutch Shell, SAB Miller, STMicroelectronics,
Unilever, Water Footprint Network and WWF.
The purpose of these conferences is to commercially reduce the waste of water and to find economically, and environmentally new methods of using, producing and renewing our water resources..
Air to Water being used in Australia
Australian news footage:
Air to Water in History
Ancient people understood the elements and how they worked together. They were masters of harnessing air, water, fire, earth ( and metal, in Asian cultures ) to create classical civilization. We, being "modern" believing that we are more advanced than our ancestors, cannot fathom how they built monuments that stood the test of time, weather, rain forests, earthquakes, and seemingly everything the universe could throw at it over millenia, while we cannot make a structure last for 200 yeas without constant
maintenance.
Water was the key of survival. So, how did these "primitive" people populate the earth while crossing vast distances without access to a consistent water source? They HAD a consistent water source----they knew how to extract water from the air.
Air Wells: Many of the ancient pyramids may have had a duel purpose other than as burial chambers or for worship--they may have provided water to ancient communities.
Fog Fences: Ancient man would capture the dew from the trees, thus would put metal, stone and other solid objects to capture dew into a basin. Thus providing hundreds of gallons of clean water.
Dew Ponds: Dew ponds have been used since paleolithic times to provide water. Dew ponds can capture huge amounts enough for a village or small community even in the thousands of gallons per day. Dew ponds exist today in Sussex England that pre-date Stonehenge, and are still in use producing around 5,000 gallons of water per day to water crops and livestock.
These are only a few of the natural solutions to drought. Here in the US, capturing humidity from the air and utilizing it may seem impossible, or right out of "Star Wars", but it isn't. It was applicable 10,000 years ago, and answered the dilemma of drought then and it still is the answer to today's water shortage.
Water Reclamation Methods--US
