Reading into Resources

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After listening to everyone’s presentations and reading “Where the Water Goes,” I began to realize that as a society, there is not a lot of awareness about where our water comes from and further, the issues involved with the extraction of water for everyday activities such as drinking, eating, bathing, and growing plants. While in many cultures, where clean freshwater is scarce, they have to be constantly aware of their water usage and must contemplate were they are getting their water from or when they are going to be able to get water next. This made me question the reasoning behind the lack of awareness of our water and the sources we take it from here in the U.S. Further, I began to question the importance of having an understanding of where our water comes from and how we can, and are, exploiting it. My question is should we put more effort into educating people on the scarcity of water and about the sources their water comes from? It seems like there is a lack of understanding that water is a depletable resource and in fact can both cause major crisis while simultaneously keeping us alive.

I think a major contributor to the lack of knowledge or thought that is put into the importance of water and where water comes from in the U.S is that clean water is constantly accessible. In fact, David Owen said himself, “All I knew was that every time I attached a hose to a spigot and turned it on, I could run it full force until it was time to go home,” and is so easy to access that our use of water becomes routine. While Owen was accessing the water to maintain the grounds of the property, he was contributing to the depletion of the water level in the Colorado River and Lake Mead without realizing. That depletion not only has future negative effects on the people in Colorado Springs, like Owen, but it also impacts every community that depends on the river and lake for their water usage, whether for agriculture or for basic household uses. Due to the fact that water depletion has a big impact on our entire population’s future survival, I believe that it is important to bring awareness to where we access our water and further, the implications of our everyday actions on the future of our water sources. This can be done through governmental regulations in which the government requires that we educate children in schools about the crisis we may face if we do not alter our actions. The government could also enact subsidies for farmers to transition their methods of farming through educating them about the impact their water usage can have for the future of our population’s survival.

9 thoughts on “Reading into Resources”

  1. I strongly believe we should put more effort into the awareness among society regarding water scarcity as well as the sources of our water. As explained by David Owen in “Where the Water Goes,” there is simply insufficient awareness about the initial source of water that we as humans use everyday. David Owen acknowledges that even he himself has failed to recognize and contemplate where the water he used that summer for work came from. I really liked how he was able to acknowledge this and took responsibility for his actions because it allows readers to feel as though they are not alone and that they are able to become educated on this topic as well. Personally, in my home I am unaware of where my water comes from, and this article forced me to think about it and develop curiosity as to where it comes from. Although the United States generally does not have a problem obtaining water for everyday usage while many developing countries do, I believe it is very important to understand where our water comes from because this can relate to a bigger picture. For example, David Owen eventually discovered that the water he used in Colorado Springs came from the Colorado River. However, more importantly, according to David Owen, “It and its tributaries supply water to more than thirty-six million people in seven Western states, including residents of Denver, Boulder, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, Phoenix,Tucson, San Diego, and Los Angeles” (2). Thus, the Colorado River acts as a major source of water in the United States, and is impacted by overuse. If people knew where their water came from, perhaps they could educate others and implement new daily habits to use less water collectively. Therefore, I believe we must make an effort in the future to learn about the source of our water as well as ways we can prevent water scarcity.

  2. I agree with your claim that the public needs to be more educated about the water scarcities in their areas and in other parts of the world. Many US civilians waste water away because it seems like there is a surplus of water in their country when there are really scarcities. I also believe educating society’s youth in schools would be an excellent way to begin the education of water scarcities. Not only would children educate their families about water scarcity, but they will also be the first generation to be educated on the over usage of water.
    I believe your argument could be furthered with the inclusion of what happens after the public is educated on this matter. In “Where is water”, the narrator describes his water usage routines that existed before he was educated of the water scarcities in his home of Colorado Springs. He states, “All I knew was that every time I attached a hose to a spigot and turned it on, I could run it full force until it was time to go home. I now know that the city’s water in those days came from local surface streams and wells”(Owen, 1). It can be inferred from the author’s diction of “knew” and “attached” that the narrator does not take water for granted anymore, but how can a residential area be sure informing the public about water scarcity is going to make a difference in the public’s water decision? As a result I ask you the question what are some other steps residential area’s can take to prevent people from overusing water even after they have been educated on the water scarcity in their area.

  3. Sasha, I not only find this topic interesting, but also not talked enough about in society today. For such a valuable resource that is being depleted recently, more efforts should be made to educate the public on how their waste can be minimalized. According to The Washington Post, Americans needlessly waste an average of 1 trillion gallons of water each year (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/17/the-incredibly-stupid-way-that-america-wastes-1-trillion-gallons-of-water-each-year/?utm_term=.04b6990a82fa). I agree that one efficient way to decrease household water waste this number is by educating the public and decrease agricultural waste by subsidizing farmers to use more water-efficient irrigation systems. It is valid to ask, wehre the water we use in our homes goes and how is it recycled and cleaned to be used again as freshwater? This is essential knowledge when trying to understand the cycle of water through our treatment plants and back into our homes.
    Water used from faucets, toilets, etc., travels from our homes, through sewage systems, and to waste water treatment plants.
    When water from sewers arrives at a waste water treatment plant it travels through bar screens to prevent large objects that can’t be broken down, from entering cleansing process. Then water travels through cylindrical tanks where aeration (air pumped through water) creates bacteria which then consumes organic matter in the water. Sludge accumulates and settles at the bottom of the tanks. Methane gas collected from microorganisms in the water is burned to create electricity to run the facility. Water us then put through a disinfection process where the chlorine and hypochlorite originally put into the water, is now removed from the water. The freshwater is then stored in tanks before being imported back into our homes.
    You may have learned a thing or two about our waste water is treated, but the important take home message is that we much be more cautious and aware of our water usage. Most places in America are grateful to have a plentiful water supply of freshwater, but if we aren’t more careful, then will dwindle our sources and lose this freedom of low price freshwater.

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  5. Thanks for the interesting article. Indeed, the problem of water pollution as well as the environment is now more relevant than ever. I believe that this knowledge should be introduced into the modern system of education, as well as to allocate scholarship, the mechanism of which is described https://writix.com/essay-examples/scholarship on the resource with free essay samples. It is necessary to allocate funds for the development of projects on environmental protection before it is too late.

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