Over the course of the semester, the issue of water resources in regards to society has come up frequently. The Water Wars Out West podcast hit close home. It discussed the recent Colorado law change that allowed residents that aren’t on city water to collect rain and snowfall from their property. Previously, it was illegal for residents to harvest rain water. This was the case because Colorado water rights are structured in way where people with senior water rights get water first and the water trickles down the list until the water runs out. Prior to the law change, harvesting rain water was considered stealing from the people on the water rights list. I’m glad to see the law change. It doesn’t make sense to keep people from obtaining their own water from their property. If they were forced to drill a well, some of the water gotten from the well would be water that had fallen on the property and seeped down. Why go through all that extra work when the water is falling on your house?

Wandering around the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado was interesting experience. I enjoyed seeing all of the energy saving technologies implemented in one building. The water saving technologies were quite significant. From 2005 to

2006, the Alliance Center reduced their water consumption by 84%, saving $4,500 a year. They accomplished this through a number of upgrades. Some faucets were fitted with aerators, while others replaced with faucets with censors. Toilets were replaced with either pressure assisted low flow (one gallon per flush) or dual flush models. The urinals were upgraded to water free models. None of these upgrades are that difficult and to save 84%  on water use is pretty incredible.  The Alliance Center estimates that these upgrades will pay for themselves in 5 years. These technologies should be mandatory, especially here in the West where water is so scarce to begin with.

Media:

Toxic Waters: Rulings Restrict Clean Water Act, Foils EPA. A New York Times article discussing how corporations are exploiting the the navigable water body loop hole in the Clean Water Act and how a recent Supreme Court ruling supported this behavior.

The Story of Bottled Water is short video made by the same people who made The Story of Stuff.  It discusses how the industry began and how it operates today.

An article by Nation Resource Report based on a US Geological Survey report claims that the United States is using less water today that in 1975 and 1980 (the peak years of water). This has happened despite a 30% population growth over that time period. So there is some positive news out there.

Relating to Major:

As a mechanical engineering major, I don’t see too many connections to my major. One area where mechanical engineering and water would intersect is in city water systems. Engineers would need to choose materials and analyze pipe layout for optimal flow. In Colorado, their skills could also be utilized in the construction of dams and reservoirs that will be needed as more and more precipitation is coming in the form of rain and the population continues to rise.