Week One: Why is water conservation important?

For the first week of my project, I wanted to focus my studies on why water conservation is important both today and for our future.

Here's what I found.

Today, California faces a water crisis, and other states in the Southwest are not immune. Arizona’s population has quadrupled since 1970, and we’re continuing to grow. Not only do we have a growing population, but our supply of freshwater is also decreasing. Currently, the Southwest is experiencing a decreasing amount of precipitation, and predictions do not indicate that these numbers will rise anytime soon. The only way we can expect to sustain this ever-growing population is to change our practices with water.

According to the journal Science Advances, the chances of a “mega-drought” hitting the Midwest and Southwest by 2100 are 80%, based on our current greenhouse emission trajectory (Howard, 2015). The rise in temperature due to greenhouse gases will cause higher levels of evaporation and limit the precipitation in the already arid regions of the Southwest. Arizona and the Colorado River Basin are also projected to have smaller amounts of rainfall (Howard, 2015). Findings in this research could have a profound impact on our state and other states in the Southwest. 

Since the Southwest is already arid, any decreases in our precipitation will have serious consequences for our environment and for our supply of water. According to a study conducted by researchers at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, precipitation (in the Southwest) is projected to drop by 5% by the century’s end, and a 10% decline could be in store for the southern half of Arizona (Lenart, 2008). Such a decrease could have a more serious impact than the numbers suggest. Considering both an increased evaporation in summer and declining precipitation in winter and summer, models project an average moisture loss amounting to about a third of an inch of rainfall per month across the region (Lenart, 2008).

The question is: how do we sustain our growing population with a decreasing amount of rainfall?

While we cannot control the amount of rain and snowfall in the region, we can reduce our consumption of water. Some cities are trying to incentivize citizens into developing better water conservation habits. Flagstaff currently has water policies in place for individual homes and small businesses. There is an established watering schedule which limits both the day and time of day for watering. The City of Flagstaff has also created a fund for a rebate program. In this program, anyone who provides a receipt for the purchase of High Efficiency Toilets, Turf Removal, and Rainwater Harvesting will receive a rebate from the city (however, other cities in Arizona do not have these policies or programs in place).

To create policies that reduce our water conservation rates, we need to have educated and involved voters. The goal of my project will be to educate our youth about water conservation (and the effects of using too much water), and thus, instill an incentive for change in young students. Hopefully in the future, these students will be more open to water restrictions in the arid Southwest.