Water Use in Hawaii When water is being wasted at home or at work, you didn’t care at all because you think there are more than enough water to last. When you were in a third world country or a place that is considered a desert and in need of water, you started to realized how much water we have wasted for so long and the risk we putting ourselves into. Most of the time we have witnessed people wasting water, but didn’t say anything or know anything about water use. Some of the problems and consequences that will affect the water usage in Hawaii, include that as the population and demands of the people goes up, so the water level goes down and it makes water less affordable for everyone (Dunster). The citizens of Hawaii have the ability and responsibility to protect their water usage and need laws in place to help conserve their water for the future.
II. Background
In 1879, cattle rancher James Campbell brought in a well-driller to search for water on the plains of Ewa. After drilling several hundred feet down, they discovered a vast underground source of pure, fresh water. Within 10 years, a series of artesian wells were drilled within the Honolulu city limits. By 1888, artesian water was supplying most of Honolulu 's needs. This discovery led to a water boom on the island, as ranchers and plantation developers began drilling furiously for more water resources. In 1891 and again in 1894, when the drought hit the city, plans were formulated for the installation of the
With this in mind, this is essentially a two-part problem; one, who is responsible for regulating who gets the water, and two, what is to be done about the increasing populations combined with the
Moving on, there are some issues with the legislation that has been passed in order to conserve the water, especially concerning the Clean Water Act. People are having opposition with the rules of the Clean Water Act. Small business owners feel that this act is restricting the way that they tend to their property. For example, several farmers use pesticides, herbicides, and other fertilizers to keep harmful insects and other animals off of their crops, so they can grow properly. These pesticides eventually end up in our local rivers, lakes, and oceans which are making humans and animals very ill. However, they make money by the crops they sell, and to them, the Clean Water Act has a very negative economic impact on them (Landers). Although
Hawaii is facing a crisis. This is not one of wars, disease or famine; the issue is water. Located thousands of miles away from the other continents, many resources in Hawaii are scarce. As a result, Hawaii’s water supply is suffering because of the an ever changing climate, which results in stress on our valuable water.
”Just over 95 percent of the state now faces severe drought conditions and nearly 60 per cent is in exceptional drought” (Source2). A lot of people are dependent on water. If we run out of water we won’t be able to do stuff like take showers, wash dishes, and sometimes go to the restroom. We could not take care of people that are sick and need water. Also cleaning your clothes would be a problem.
With 1,400 miles of water and 9 states using it- water is running out fast. Farmers that use the water are saying that they have more legal rights to use the water since they are growing food to give to everyone. Although, cities are needing water to keep their people alive as well.
Californians are being heavily fined for using a certain amount of water a month, which impacts the daily lives of everyone. Water is a natural resource that is crucial to everyone’s survival. Whether if it’s being used for cooking, showering, gardening, washing your car or just simply drinking purposes; water is a necessity for everyone. Though the bill has not yet been passed by congress and officially has not become a law, the issue still remains on the table. The drought in California has taken a massive toll on agriculture, the environment and infrastructure. The drought is on its route to damage California’s climate change. In the past three consecutive years the average rain fall has drastically decreased, and the winter temperatures have increased. Since majority of California’s water comes from the Western Rocky Mountains, the water supply there is dropping resulting in more strict laws and regulations on how much water can be consumed by the average
The latest figures in Mirage show that in 2000, Floridians used an average 174 gallons of water per person per day. Since the book was published, that number is down to 157 statewide. Some local communities have gotten per-capita consumption below 100 gallons per person per day. What do these trends show about the future? What are the areas in which we could save the most water? Talk about the difference that 50 gallons per person per day could make in a state that 18 million people call
How much water do you use on a daily basis? Well, these people are tired of farmers using up all the water because of the fact that when they run out of water, they are unable to take showers and/or use the bathroom. Farmers say that they need way more water to grow the food on their farms. It is obvious to the common person that they should have regulations on water.
We all love water, but don’t know much about it. What I mean is that a lot of us don’t even know where our water comes from. That answer varies; for example, the city of Camarillo California gets its’ water in Camrosa Water District. It’s official website, “Camrosa Water District building Water Self- Reliance” provides information like what their purpose is, and as well as water conservation, building self-reliance, and other public information. This website states that Camrosa is currently in a state two water supply shortage. This means that there are restrictions on water use and a call for a voluntary fifteen percent reduction on the amount of water consumption. Also, according to Camrosa “Agricultural Water Management Plan”, water is being
Some ways we recycle our water is by using it to water golf fields, ball fields, and parks. We also reuse water but putting it in ponds and other streams for our aquatic wildlife ecosystems. We preserve our water by putting it in underground aquifers. We make our water reusable at water reclamation factories that make them clean enough to put them places safely. In conclusion, we use water a lot so it’s a big priority to make sure we don’t waste it. Without our water, our way of living will become a lot harder. Farm food prices will go up because it’ll cost more to use the water to make the
Q1. Briefly describe the complexity of international water use, using the Rhine River or the Aral Sea as an example.
As for our state and the excess water release... Well that's a whole other topic involving $$$ and politics that were staged well before our time. Even if the lake was completely dry, cities such as Folsom would call upon its pre-existing water right contracts such as Folsom's pre-existing 1914 water rights and force every last drop out. Add that to all the water rights agreements held by the southern cities, farmers, so on and so forth. It's easier to just do your part, conserve what you can and hope a pray for rain rather than combat the madness that is made up of bureaucratic BS and
Although water conservation helps, some people have misconceptions about what water conservation can and can't do. If we all work together to conserve water, we can help assure a bright and prosperous life for future generations. Become an advocate of conservation in your community. Help promote conservation as a wise and important water management principle.
When referring to Arizona’s water Kris Mayes, chairwoman of the state’s utility regulatory panel once said, “How do you say just how valuable water is in an arid state like Arizona?” she said. “It’s like the credit-card commercial-it’s priceless” (McKinnon). She was right, because in a dry state like Arizona, water is pretty important. To say water is ‘pretty important’ for the world is an understatement. We use water to function. And when we think of water we think of saving it. Keep the faucets from dripping or turn off the water while brushing your teeth. There are numerous tips for water conservation, but people don’t often think of the damage that is already done. Damages like ‘dead zones’. Dead zones in the ocean have been around for
In today’s society, the idea of a limited resource is not a foreign concept. Most people understand that eventually humans will use up many of these resources, such as fossil fuels, and they will cease to exist. However, very rarely does a conversation about limited resources get started over the water. While water itself is not a limited resource, clean drinkable water is becoming scarcer as people continue to use excess water. The documentary “Last Call at the Oasis” highlights how precious water is to survival and just how much miss use of water occurs in the United States alone. Even though the United States has gone down the wrong path with its water consumption methods, it may not be too late to recover. With the proper systems and education in place, the chances of delaying a water crisis increase exponentially.