Ten Biggest U.S. Cities running out of Water

[Mike Kennedy]

Water, Water everywhere but not a drop to drink.......soon

http://finance.yahoo.com/real-estat...american-cities-that-are-running-out-of-water

 

[Smokey Bear]

Southern California doesn't have any water. They've been importing it for years.

Funny, all that water in the ocean and we still haven't figured out a way to harness it without killing alll the fishies ...

 

[Calvin the Airedale]

Southern California doesn't have any water. They've been importing it for years.

Funny, all that water in the ocean and we still haven't figured out a way to harness it without killing alll the fishies ...

That isn't true. Water desalinization is a realty in the middle east. Saudi Arabia and the gulf emirates get most of their water this way, for instance. It's just that this is an energy intensive process.

In the American west, it would take 5 or 6 nuclear plants generating power to solve this problem. They'd supply power during the day, supplanting coal and gas generated plants spilling CO2 into the atmosphere then supply full off peak power to desalinization plants.

No fish need be killed in such a process.

 

[Austin]

Funny things about water-Remember the big earth quake in the Indian Ocean that caused the big tidal wave a few years ago: I live in Virginia on the opposite side of the globe. Within about 2 hours after that earth quake the well water table in Virginia dropped by 7 feet. Manny wells went dry.
About 8 years ago we had a string of three dry years with rain fall down about 33%. We had a state emergency. The Virginia Legislature reported that if we didn’t get some heavy rain soon that Virginia was going to be in deep dodo. That shows you just what a thin shell we live in. I used to ride around the Virginia country side looking at all the beautiful land and wondered why no cities were build in those areas that had excellent topography and fairly level land. No bridges to build or maintain etc. The Dan River runs through our local city Danville, VA. Population around 43,000, unemployment around 15% and we have 7 bridges with one new one under construction. Big time bucks to maintain. The reason is no water supply. Roanoke Virginia gets its water from one mountain lake. That lake has gone to the brink so many times it ain’t funny. When they give the weather report in that area they always report the lake level.
One good dry spell and the state is doomed. Virginia Beach, Virginia has to pipe the water in from NC. The Dan River meanders in and out of VA & NC and there are constant conflicts about how much water is taken out before it meanders back into the next state. When I was in High School I played on the football team. We had a big rivalry with the next town down river, South Boston. At the end of every football game the PA announcer would always say: “Please drive carefully going home and all Danville residents please flush your commodes because South Boston needs the water.”

 

[Lloyd Bonafide]

A large desalinization plant is being built on the ocean in Carlsbad, CA, that will supply 10% of the fresh water for San Diego County.

It's really incredible to what extent environmentalists will go to delay a common-sense project like this - the permitting process alone with all of the various lawsuits took over 5 years.

 

[Captain Common Sense]

A large desalinization plant is being built on the ocean in Carlsbad, CA, that will supply 10% of the fresh water for San Diego County.

It's really incredible to what extent environmentalists will go to delay a common-sense project like this - the permitting process alone with all of the various lawsuits took over 5 years.

And in the meantime beer prices are skyrocketing......freaking environmentalists.

 

[Smokey Bear]

I meant the folks in L.A. haven't figured it out yet. Also using the tides and waves for power. There's gotta be a way.

 

[Restrain]

You can't get a reservoir past the EPA, Fish and Wildlife, etc. Always someone with a wood snail that's endangered. They ignore the endangered people.

 

[Smokey Bear]

They ignore the endangered people.

The endangered people can move, the endangered animals can't. And the endangered animals didn't settle in a place where there weren't enough resources to support them in the first place.

L.A. is a freaking desert, yet everyone wants their pretty lawns and to wash their cars every week. The city I'm in right now REQUIRES that a certaing percentage of yoru front yard be nice green grass. Go figure.

 

[HF Mudd]

I notice that 4 of the 10 mentioned get some or most of their water from the Colorado River.