Being a responsible neighbor (Houston, Dallas: home, construction, per square foot)

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

I'm betting on hope for the future. » Turning Seawater Into Drinking Water with Sun and Wind Power Ecology Today: Ecology News, Information & Commentary Blog (http://ecology.com/ecology-today/2009/02/20/turning-seawater-into-drinking-water-with-sun-and-wind-power/ - broken link)

Australia Turns to Desalination Amid Water Shortage : NPR

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...everse-osmosis

[TexasHorseLady]

One has to wonder what negative effect that is going to have on the environment. We seem to have a bad track record of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" solutions for problems that makes me more than a bit nervous every time I hear about these desalinization "solutions" to the problem of too many people, not enough water.

[mimimomx3]

When the golf courses are brown, I'll stop watering.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

One has to wonder what negative effect that is going to have on the environment. We seem to have a bad track record of "it seemed like a good idea at the time" solutions for problems that makes me more than a bit nervous every time I hear about these desalinization "solutions" to the problem of too many people, not enough water.

I hear what you're saying but some of the possible solutions to the water issue make me more comfortable than say, Eugenics.

[CarnivalGal]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

When the golf courses are brown, I'll stop watering.

Do they use reclaimed water? I know here in Steiner Ranch, all the irrigation of the common areas is done with reclaimed (grey) water.

What I want to know is why is it OK for my HOA to use reclaimed water but not individual homeowners? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GOOD thing they they use reclaimed water - I think we should be able to use it too.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by mm57553

Do they use reclaimed water? I know here in Steiner Ranch, all the irrigation of the common areas is done with reclaimed (grey) water.

What I want to know is why is it OK for my HOA to use reclaimed water but not individual homeowners? Don't get me wrong, I think it's a GOOD thing they they use reclaimed water - I think we should be able to use it too.

I'd be ok with that.....

[Trainwreck20]

Almost all golf courses use at least a significant amount of reclaimed water instead of first-pass water.

As for the HOA: I am guessing that the HOA is using grey water in public areas and uses a source of grey water that is completely separate from potable water; therefore, there is no risk of contamination. In a home, that is much more complex (as noted above) and would add a lot of cost.

As a general note, everyone wants to blame the big users (golf course, manuf, etc) for water use, and yes, individually, it looks like they are the bad guys. In reality, though, the million+ people that use just a little extra water is what burdens the system. Same is true for air pollution. People want to blame big industry, but it is generally due to the millions of individual autos.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

Almost all golf courses use at least a significant amount of reclaimed water instead of first-pass water.

As for the HOA: I am guessing that the HOA is using grey water in public areas and uses a source of grey water that is completely separate from potable water; therefore, there is no risk of contamination. In a home, that is much more complex (as noted above) and would add a lot of cost.

As a general note, everyone wants to blame the big users (golf course, manuf, etc) for water use, and yes, individually, it looks like they are the bad guys. In reality, though, the million+ people that use just a little extra water is what burdens the system. Same is true for air pollution. People want to blame big industry, but it is generally due to the millions of individual autos.

I'm not blaming anyone. I'm just saying we're all in this together. When the malls, the golf courses, UT, all stop watering, I will too. And I'm happy to use the same kind of water they do.

[cBach]

I honestly believe Texas needs to start thinking about building a pipeline from the MS River to central Texas. The pipeline could dump right into Lake Travis and keep it filled up to the top year round.

Louisiana is a cash strapped state and they would gladly sell the water rights. New Orleans, for instance, uses the MS River as a water supply. This was an ingenious idea. They are going through the same drought we are, to a lesser degree, and the flooding in the Midwest was occurring when they were in a drought. So they had super high river levels during a drought and that's where they get their drinking water. They will never run out of water.

We could build a giant pipeline the same way AZ did to supply Phoenix and how CA did to supply LA. But we would need to begin building it right now.

The initial pipeline could dump directly into Lake Travis and then we could build feeder lines that go up to Dallas, down to San Antonio/Houston.

With this, rice farmers would be satisfied, boat owners and marina operators on Lake Travis would be satisfied, and we would have water for years to come.

This seriously needs to be investigated.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

From: Water Footprint Calculator - National Geographic Every Drop Counts! We live in a watery world, with the average American lifestyle fueled by nearly 2,000 gallons of H2O a day. What may come as a surprise is that very little of that—only five percent—runs through toilets, taps, and garden hoses at home. Nearly 95 percent of your water footprint is hidden in the food you eat, energy you use, products you buy, and services you rely on. Find out your water footprint, then pledge to dry it out, joining other nationalgeographic.com users who have already committed to saving thousands of gallons. The more we save, the more water we leave for healthy ecosystems and a sustainable future. Water-saving facts and tips Water calculator sources and credits