Water, water everywhere . . . and not a drop to drink. (fertilize, costs, properties)

[GregW]

Desalination requires a lot of energy and that energy, if obtained by burning fossil fuels is expensive. I would suggest using solar energy to heat salt water in shallow ponds covered with plastic sheeting. Over the salt water would be condensing coils cooled by ground water which would condense the pure water vapor inside these plastic tents. Primary source of energy would be solar.

Now this is an idea I just had. There are many, many engineering and location details to be worked out but I hope somebody gives it a try. You heard it here. If anyone, with enough money to pay me well, wants to work with me on this idea please PM me.

[Houston3]

Originally Posted by revelated

I know this is a 2-month old thread...but I felt compelled to comment when I saw....



Am I reading this right? Is someone suggesting that a shower a day is "not necessary"? That because I work in an office behind a desk, I somehow do not need to shower daily?

I would hope that you do if your desk is within 10 feet of me...LOL

[Teak]

Does anyone else remember that experiment that a Saudi prince paid for years ago? He paid a company to use tugboats and haul an Antarctic iceberg to the Middle East where it was still mostly intact, for use as a freshwater supply. Probably was cheaper than desalination.

[bluepacific]

Originally Posted by Teak

Does anyone else remember that experiment that a Saudi prince paid for years ago? He paid a company to use tugboats and haul an Antarctic iceberg to the Middle East where it was still mostly intact, for use as a freshwater supply. Probably was cheaper than desalination.

Wow

Could Global Warming actually be a middle eastern plot ???

Actually I do remember hearing something about that. I also remember Argentina interested in a similiar venture some time ago.

[BrokenTap]

Teak, your ideas are sound, just one sided. You forget that crops also give off water too, so while they do soak up water to grow, they also give it off. I think an acre of corn gives up over 1000 gallons of water per day. Its probably why the west is dry and the east is wet and gaining water. It simply lands here.

If the crops simply were no longer grown, you would get soil erosion from wind and the water you do get, so its not as simple as it sounds. You only need to look back at the black blizzards of the dust bowl days to confirm this.

I am still with Omaha Rocks on this one. More land is in lawns in the USA then in agricultural ground, and more fertilizer and water goes into raising grass for suburbanites to walk on (or just look at) then grows our own food. That is sad. Once again its blame agriculture, stuff faces full of food and not take responsibility for society views on something that is not needed. (lawns)

[tcrackly]

Sounds like desalinization of the plentiful ocean waters surrounding CA border is the way to go. Diversion of the Colorado River and other natural waterways for the sake of greening up a naturally arid southwest has damaged many other environments beyond CA.

[thecoalman]

Fortunately I live in an area that has no water issues, they built dams here in the "mountains" at the turn of the century when coal mining really took off. These are easily replenished, if we get a couple of dry months in the summer they might start a ban on watering lawns but you only need a few good days of rain and they will be overflowing again. The area serviced by these dams is saturated so it won't be an issue in the future either.

If you build a house elsewhere you can sink a well anywhere and get water, it burbles out of the ground in some areas there is so much of it. If you look on Google maps there is literally thousands of little lakes, ponds, smaller waterways and a lot of major ones such as the Susquehanna which flows about 1/2 a block from my house.

[Omaha Rocks]

If people in the arid SW part of the United States would simply stop watering lawns and golf courses, this problem would basically be solved.

If it isn't green naturally, it shouldn't be green artificially.

[marmac]

Originally Posted by Omaha Rocks

If people in the arid SW part of the United States would simply stop watering lawns and golf courses, this problem would basically be solved.

If it isn't green naturally, it shouldn't be green artificially.

gotta be carefull with that last sentence or city people who live in the SW will throw that back on farmers who irrigate.

[Omaha Rocks]

Originally Posted by marmac

gotta be carefull with that last sentence or city people who live in the SW will throw that back on farmers who irrigate.

Sure enough.

But there's a big difference between "watering your huge lawn" in order to grow food, and watering your lawn simply for looks.

We need to eat to live. We don't need green lawns to live.