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08.30.12

The Drought of 2012 dubbed "a slow-motion disaster"

An eye-opening article on how forward-thinking cities like Las Vegas, Fresno and San Antonio are leaving others (literally) in the dust with progressive water conservation practices.

 

Don’t Waste the Drought

By CHARLES FISHMAN, Op-Ed Contributor

Just as the oil crisis of the 1970s spurred advances in fuel efficiency, so should the Drought of 2012 inspire efforts to reduce water consumption.

Our nation’s water system is a mess, from cities to rural communities, for farmers and for factories. To take just one example: Water utilities go to the trouble to find water, clean it and pump it into water mains for delivery, but before it gets to any home or business, leaky pipes send 16 percent — about one in six gallons — back into the ground. So even in the midst of the drought, our utilities lose enough water every six days to supply the nation for a day. You can take a shorter shower, but it won’t make up for that...

[Read the whole article here]: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/opinion/dont-waste-this-drought.html?_r=1&hp