Why do we waste so much precious water?

I believe this issue fits under this category.

As one man said "water is more valuable than gold its self".. why do we pollute our fresh water supply?? and cause droughts to happen because of water demands... did you know that 3 gallons of fresh water is flushed down the toilet every time you flush?...if they don't find an alternative we could suffer in the decades to come... i personally think that humans won't make it passed the year 2050
Also all those pools are really not necessary because that also takes up a tremendous amount of fresh DRINKABLE water if not for the chlorine that they add...
OH YEAH pool water is 100% fresh water if you filter the chlorine

And scientists are now trying to figure out a way to create a filter to filter sea water to fresh drinking water... and lord knows what that will do to the environment..

They talk about global warming but they won't enforce us to stop using so much water??

We waste water because it gets piped directly to our homes. We don't have to carry it in buckets or pump a well. Some do, but they are aren't the majority.

It's not like once we use the water, it magically disappears...
More than 70% of Earth's surface is water...
If we ever run low on freshwater, I'm sure we could distill the ocean water.

What you are talking about is not a problem.

Why do we waste so much water?
Because it evaporates and goes in the air to rain down on us again full circle. It's not the water supply but the way it's handled and the additives added (fluoride) are the problem. Like said above, 70% of the planet is water.

Originally posted by CrazyRaccoon

As one man said "water is more valuable than gold its self"..
In the sense that we need water to live. When supply and demand come into the picture, the "value" in monetary value becomes quite different. Water is basically free, you only pay for the handling charges.


did you know that 3 gallons of fresh water is flushed down the toilet every time you flush?...
So what? that water goes into the sewer, into the treatment plant, and then comes right back to my house.

The other things you post as fact, aren't true either.
you're afraid of something that won't happen. Don't believe the fear-mongering.

reply to post by CrazyRaccoon

Why do we waste so much precious water?

To maintain purdy fairways on the golf courses, keep all the monsanto corn a growin', and because we just can!
Did ya know it's illegal to collect rainwater in certain states too?

These days, we must exercise conservation in the water game. The old mentality of abundance in every natural resource for the taking, must change.

Peace,
spec

Here's a site for you.

Blue Gold World Water Wars.

www.bluegold-worldwaterwars.com...

reply to post by CrazyRaccoon

People waste water for the same reason we waste so much of everything else. People are selfish , reckless , people lack foresight . There is always more water when we turn the tap on people do not need to walk over to the river. People cannot think for themselves and need direction and do not see any problem until some one creditable speaks out. Even still a lot of people still can't be bothered to make lifestyle choices

Because utility companies are poised to increase the price dramatically. Yes, most of us do already pay for our water, twice (supply & sewer). Its like what, 10 cent a gallon they are aiming to get it up to 1/gal in our lifetime. Imagine that, as the average American shower/bath wastes at 70+ gallons! and some people shower 2-3 time a day...

reply to post by CrazyRaccoon


I understand what you're saying about wasting water by flushing the toilet. But I don't think you understand what happens to the water after it's flushed.

In the city, water is piped to a sewage planet where they have tanks that takes out the gas / fuel from fecial and then the liguid is put through vigorous filtration systems and piped back into homes as drinking water.

If you live in the county, people get their water from a well, and that water is flushed into a septic line which over time goes back into the ground and used over and over.

Sewage Treatment

Sewage treatment, or domestic wastewater treatment, is the process of removing contaminants from wastewater and household sewage, both runoff (effluents) and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove physical, chemical and biological contaminants. Its objective is to produce an environmentally-safe fluid waste stream (or treated effluent) and a solid waste (or treated sludge) suitable for disposal or reuse (usually as farm fertilizer). Using advanced technology it is now possible to re-use sewage effluent for drinking water, although Singapore is the only country to implement such technology on a production scale in its production of NEWater.

Here is more information about the treatment of water for reuse.

Water Treatment Process

Here's a step-by-step guide describing what happens at each stage of the treatment process and how pollutants are removed to help keep our waterways clean. This information is courtesy of the Greater Vancouver Regional District.


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The Primary Treatment Process
1. Screening:
Wastewater entering the treatment plant includes items like wood, rocks, and even dead animals. Unless they are removed, they could cause problems later in the treatment process. Most of these materials are sent to a landfill.


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2. Pumping:
The wastewater system relies on the force of gravity to move sewage from your home to the treatment plant. So wastewater-treatment plants are located on low ground, often near a river into which treated water can be released. If the plant is built above the ground level, the wastewater has to be pumped up to the aeration tanks (item 3). From here on, gravity takes over to move the wastewater through the treatment process.


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3. Aerating:
One of the first steps that a water treatment facility can do is to just shake up the sewage and expose it to air. This causes some of the dissolved gases (such as hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs) that taste and smell bad to be released from the water. Wastewater enters a series of long, parallel concrete tanks. Each tank is divided into two sections. In the first section, air is pumped through the water.

As organic matter decays, it uses up oxygen. Aeration replenishes the oxygen. Bubbling oxygen through the water also keeps the organic material suspended while it forces 'grit' (coffeegrounds, sand and other small, dense particles) to settle out. Grit is pumped out of the tanks and taken to landfills.


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4. Removing sludge
Wastewater then enters the second section or sedimentation tanks. Here, the sludge (the organic portion of the sewage) settles out of the wastewater and is pumped out of the tanks. Some of the water is removed in a step called thickening and then the sludge is processed in large tanks called digesters.


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5. Removing scum:
As sludge is settling to the bottom of the sedimentation tanks, lighter materials are floating to the surface. This 'scum' includes grease, oils, plastics, and soap. Slow-moving rakes skim the scum off the surface of the wastewater. Scum is thickened and pumped to the digesters along with the sludge.

Many cities also use filtration in sewage treatment. After the solids are removed, the liquid sewage is filtered through a substance, usually sand, by the action of gravity. This method gets rid of almost all bacteria, reduces turbidity and color, removes odors, reduces the amount of iron, and removes most other solid particles that remained in the water. Water is sometimes filtered through carbon particles, which removes organic particles. This method is used in some homes, too.


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6. Killing bacteria:
Finally, the wastewater flows into a 'chlorine contact' tank, where the chemical chlorine is added to kill bacteria, which could pose a health risk, just as is done in swimming pools. The chlorine is mostly eliminated as the bacteria are destroyed, but sometimes it must be neutralized by adding other chemicals. This protects fish and other marine organisms, which can be harmed by the smallest amounts of chlorine.

The treated water (called effluent) is then discharged to a local river or the ocean

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R. Wastewater Residuals:
Another part of treating wastewater is dealing with the solid-waste material. These solids are kept for 20 to 30 days in large, heated and enclosed tanks called 'digesters.' Here, bacteria break down (digest) the material, reducing its volume, odors, and getting rid of organisms that can cause disease. The finished product is mainly sent to landfills, but sometimes can be used as fertilizer.

I have a 240 ft well, i can waste all i want because it filters back into the ground and feeds my well, electricity is a different story..

Originally posted by sweetnlow
I have a 240 ft well, i can waste all i want because it filters back into the ground and feeds my well, electricity is a different story..

Yeah - me too. Well doesn't work without electricity.

Power went out for a week - - - fortunately I'm right by a canal. Had to get buckets of water from canal to flush toilet. Cooked everything in fridge and packed it in ice in cooler. Used paper plates and plastic utensils.

Bolding is mine:

Water is continually moving around, through and above the Earth as water vapor, liquid water, and ice. In fact, water is continually changing its form. One should consider the Earth as a "closed system" for the most part, like a terrarium. That means that the Earth, as a whole, neither gains nor loses much matter, including water. Although some matter, such as meteors from outer space, are captured by Earth, very little of the Earth's substances escape into outer space. This is certainly true about water.Therefore the same water that existed on Earth millions of years ago is still here. The global water cycle dictates that the same water is continually being recycled all around the globe.

All the water is still here!

There may be droughts that cause shortages, and there are certainly govt. a-holes that like to overcharge for it, but it is all still here. Access is the problem.

Water is not a problem if we just get off our backs and do the technical work. They have made freshwater from seawater a long time now in the middle east. What people need to do is fix the energy problem that exists since people make money on energy. When you can't be a parasite and get much resources(money) by trying to limit other resources then these issues will be solved by wise people (not poleticians that are part of the problem). The system we have now is not giving money to solving problems. The researchers/poleticians are getting money on the amount of time they spend on the problem not on their solutions. And problems that should not be a problem is created to make money from the people who will pay for a solution. Namaste

Originally posted by CrazyRaccoon
and cause droughts to happen because of water demands...

Droughts do not happen because of water demands, they happen due to weather patterns. Here in TX we're in the midst of a terrible drought that has been brought on not because people use water, but because we've had half our normal rainfall for over a year while also setting high temperature records. We're under water rationing and despite the drought, people have been honoring the restrictions and using far less water than normal. There have been widespread losses across Texas in livestock, crops, trees and landscaping. And it looks like this year is going to be even worse, because the rainfall is still behind and the reservoirs are at half their normal volume. If things don't improve I anticipate the losses will extend to structural damage of homes and businesses due to foundation issues from the lack of water which normally limits expansion and contraction of subsoils. Meanwhile other parts of the country are experiencing extreme flooding. That's just nature, it's the way it goes. Saying it's because of "water demands" is absurd.

Originally posted by CrazyRaccoon
did you know that 3 gallons of fresh water is flushed down the toilet every time you flush?

Did you know that before the flush toilet thousands of people died each year due to food and water contamination from living around raw sewage? Still happens in some undeveloped areas of the world. If you want to poop and pee in your backyard then knock yourself out. Personally I value my family's health more than living like an animal.