Water Shortage in
California
Hannah Topliff, John Yu, Rachel Sawyer
Background
California is in its fourth year of a drought.
What is a drought?
It is a period of drier than normal conditions that results in water related problems.
In April, the Governor issued that Californians must reduce water usage by 25%
What Causes this drought?
lack of rain & rising temperatures
41% state - exceptional drought
Californians: use 50% more water than Eastern US
N. California provides 75% state’s water while S. California uses 75% of
California’s water resources
Visual News
http://www.visualnews.com/2015/04/13/californias-worst-drought-inhistory-the-breakdown/
Residential Water Use
Energy-intensive
Studies focus on quantifying water-related energy consumption for household
appliances
Model is the sum of eight end-uses
Greenhouse gas emission factors as a function of the type of water heater and
the utility that provides the energy
Water saving retro appliances, increased prices for water
3.
Escriva-Bou, A., J. R. Lund, and M. Pulido-Velazquez (2015), Optimal residential water conservation strategies considering related energy in California
Optimal residential water conservation strategies considering related energy in California
Water Resources Research
Volume 51, Issue 6, pages 4482-4498, 21 JUN 2015 DOI: 10.1002/2014WR016821
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014WR016821/full#wrcr21525-fig-0001
[3]
“Virtual Water” Trade
Water resources under increasing pressure
Outsourcing results in direct resource impact
Water use is embedded in electricity generated at a power plant
Generated electricity produced and electricity used - opposite sides of physical
or political boundaries
Over-estimated resources
Impacts future decisions
8.
Ruddell, B. L., E. A. Adams, R. Rushforth, and V. C. Tidwell (2014), Embedded resource accounting for coupled natural-human systems: An application to water resource
Embedded Water
Embedded in grain crops, impacts the population, natural economy, and water
cycle
Crops are transported across international borders - California to Mexico
Fosters growth in underdeveloped areas
Overexploitation of underground finite water resources
Declining quality of water
Inequalities along class lines; Political protests; Social tensions
Backed by The World Bank and The International Development Bank
7.
"Publications." Waterfootprint.org: Water Footprint and Virtual Water. Water Footprint Network
How Do We Solve
These Problems?
Getty Images
http://i.imgur.com/MO7iuWD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/m1pB5Xm.jpg
Desalination [4]
Although Southern California lacks potable fresh water, it has an advantageous proximity to the ocean.
The method of desalination can be bottled down to: The method of reverse osmosis
A big problem that arises from this method is the waste left behind: salty brine water.
The complex technologies involved in the desalination process very expensive, to the point where the US would
potentially need to invest one billion dollars a year even before being able to provide water to a majority of the
citizens.
4. Gray, Hannah. "Illumin - California's Water Crisis." Illumin - California's Water Crisis. N.p., 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
Graywater [2]
Overview:
Graywater is untreated wastewater that has not been contaminated by any toilet discharge, by unhealthy bodily wastes,
and does not present a threat from contamination.
There are two kinds of Graywater: Light graywater and Heavy graywater
Treatment:
Both heavy graywater and blackwater must be conveyed to and treated by centralized wastewater treatment plants.
Water Savings:
The potential water savings depends on the participation of the household and the filtration stations. The range of water
savings is from 16% - 40%.
2. Cohen, Yohram. "Graywater - A Potential Source of Water, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability." Graywater - A Potential Source of Water, UCLA Institute
of the Environment and Sustainability. N.p., 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
Agriculture Conservation[4]
About %80 water used by agriculture
How to Conserve
seal leaks and cover storages of water
evaporation = millions acre-feet water loss
underwater aqueducts
rainwater gathering on roofs
safe over 50,000 liters of water
less water-dependent crops
Residential Water Use Conservation [3]
Residential water use does not use as nearly much, but every cutback can help.
How to Conserve
Using the toilet more than once before flushing saves over 15 gallons a day
Turning off the shower while shampooing or shaving can save over 20 gallons per shower
Laundering only full loads of clothes can save anywhere from 30 to 60 gallons each load
Sweeping a driveway instead of hosing it
Going to a car wash - water is recycled
Mandatory regulations [6]
RecycleTV
http://www.recycletx.com/
Sources
1.
Brown, Casey, Jay Lund, Ximing Cai, and Patrick Reed. “The Future of Water Resources Systems Analysis: Toward a
Scientific Framework for Sustainable Water Management.” AGU Publications. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 6 Aug. 2015. Web. 29 Sept.
2015.
2.
Cohen, Yohram. "Graywater - A Potential Source of Water, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability." Graywater -
A Potential Source of Water, UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. N.p., 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
3.
Escriva-Bou, A., J. R. Lund, and M. Pulido-Velazquez (2015), Optimal residential water
conservation strategies considering related energy in California, Water Resour. Res., 51,
4482–4498, doi:10.1002/2014WR016821.
4.
Gray, Hannah. "Illumin - California's Water Crisis." Illumin - California's Water Crisis. N.p., 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
5.
Howell, Terry A. "Enhancing Water Use Efficiency in Irrigated Agriculture." American Society of Agronomy 93.2 (2001): 281-89.
Web. 27 Sept. 2015.
Sources
6.
Mini, C. "The Effectiveness of Water Conservation Measures on Summer Residential Water Use in Los Angeles, California."
Science Direct. Elsevier B.V, Jan. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
7.
"Publications." Waterfootprint.org: Water Footprint and Virtual Water. Water Footprint Network, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
<http://temp.waterfootprint.org/?page=files%2FVirtualWaterFlows>.
8.
Ruddell, B. L., E. A. Adams, R. Rushforth, and V. C. Tidwell (2014), Embedded resource accounting for coupled natural-human
systems: An application to water resource impacts of the western U.S. electrical energy trade, Water Resour. Res., 50, 7957–7972,
doi:10.1002/2013WR014531.
9.
T. Arrandale. "Western Water." Editorial Research Reports. Internet:
http://library.cqpre​ss.com/cqresearcher/​cqresrre1987013000, 1987.
10.
ZLOLNISKI, C. (2011), WATER FLOWING NORTH OF THE BORDER: Export Agriculture and Water Politics in a Rural Community
in Baja California. Cultural Anthropology, 26: 565–588. doi:10.1111/j.1548-1360.2011.01112.x
Sources
http://ca.water.usgs.gov/data/drought/