Water Conservation (Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Chama: apartment, credit, living)

[rruff]

Originally Posted by Tim Rankin

Zoidberg, why the arguments against conserving water?

I think he stated his case quite well. He isn't arguing against it, only pointing out that there isn't a compelling reason to worry about it. We don't have a water "crisis" that conservation (at least on the residential level) will solve. Most of the water is used for agriculture. If the population continues to increase then I imagine that agricultural allotments could be purchased for residential use. The price of alternatives will be rather high, and the price of water will rise... promoting conservation naturally. We can get by on much lower residential water use, but there is no good reason to worry about it until we need to.

Unlike fossil fuels for instance, "using" the water doesn't use it up at all... it either goes back in the ground or river, or ends up in the atmosphere... and neither does it degrade the environment. It is replenished continually. The water you don't "use" today will end up somewhere else in the great cycle.

[rruff]

BTW... speaking of toilets, we just got ours replaced with Proflo 1.6gl/flush models. OMG! So much better than the old ones. These things blast it all away in two seconds.

[highdesertmutz]

I'm not a fox news junkie, but not too long ago, the city of atlanta, georgia was embroiled in a fight over water rights. if people on this forum read this story, or stories related to water shortages, maybe this would help convince people that there's nothing funny about water conservation and shortages. sometimes the seemingly dumbest forums or threads have a more serious side to them.
FOXNews.com - Southern Governors Wage Water War Over Rights to Lake Lanier - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News
Conservation of our natural resources is everybody's business.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by highdesertmutz

maybe this would help convince people that there's nothing funny about water conservation and shortages.

Water conservation and shortages and battles over who gets the water are three different things. Even if we conserve water, we will still get just as much of the other two.

[highdesertmutz]

Originally Posted by rruff

Water conservation and shortages and battles over who gets the water are three different things. Even if we conserve water, we will still get just as much of the other two.

no. if people conserve water, there may not be shortages, or battles ensuing over who gets what water.

[songinthewind7]

I guess I was surprised that the people in Ga. were not a little more prepared.

[highdesertmutz]

Originally Posted by songinthewind7

I guess I was surprised that the people in Ga. were not a little more prepared.

it's difficult to prepare for a drought.
up until the rains of 2006 in the areas surrounding sierra county, they were experiencing a 6 year drought. most creeks and rivers around the area were all dried up, the alamosa, the mimbres, elephant butte lakes levels hit their lowest in recorded history, the rio grande was so shallow, you could have literally walked all the way to las cruces without hardly getting your feet wet. this also means that local area water wells were pumped dry too, creating a problem for some homeowners and ranchers. so, conservation is a good thing. people might think we have endless supplies of drinking water, when in fact, we do not. you can pay as much as you wish for water, but that doesn't guarantee whenever you turn on the tap, that it will always be there.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by highdesertmutz

no. if people conserve water, there may not be shortages, or battles ensuing over who gets what water.

That is simply untrue. Cut residential use in NM to zero tomorrow, and the excess will quickly get used up by other interests... which will still battle over who gets what. And there will still be droughts which result in shortages.

[rruff]

Originally Posted by highdesertmutz

so, conservation is a good thing.

How could conservation have prevented any of these things?

[domino]

Originally Posted by rruff

That is simply untrue. Cut residential use in NM to zero tomorrow, and the excess will quickly get used up by other interests... which will still battle over who gets what. And there will still be droughts which result in shortages.

So we should use as much water as we can, because if we don't, someone else will? Conservation just makes good sense.