Quote:
Originally Posted by Obadno
I don’t know why people that don’t know any better insist on saying there are water issues where there are not water issues. Hell water in Arizona is actually not very expensive. There is not a water issue here. We have plenty for what we need.
I know it’s tempting to assume that there is some major lack of water For
Phoenix but there is not.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed
Having water for current needs isn't the same thing as having enough water to substantially grow.
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I've long been frustrated by the common narrative that the only consideration when it comes to conserving natural resources is to have enough for human use. It's that attitude that has led to most of our environmental problems to begin with. Land, water, and other resources aren't just sitting idly waiting for someone to come along and find a productive use for them. They're being used already by an entire system of other life and natural processes that can be severely damaged or destroyed by disruption. If you siphon large amounts of water away from rivers, lakes and aquifers, there are plenty of long and short term effects that are independent (at least initially) of desired human consumption.
For instance, rivers with lower water levels cannot carry sediment as far and can rob the regions downstream of nutrients. They also cannot hydrate wetlands down stream as effectively which can threaten countless species. This can cause the desertification and erosion of large areas of ecosystem. The lakes/rivers also may not have enough extra water to recharge the water table which can deplete the reserves for times drought. I don't know the situation in Arizona, but the question of "How much can we use before it runs out" is always just one of many aspects to consider when it comes to consuming natural resources.