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Are the underground aquifers in question renewable? Also, how is it that the aquifers don't require purification? Sounds like a good system. Just wondering how
by graeme 11y ago
Are the underground aquifers in question renewable? Also, how is it that the aquifers don't require purification?
Sounds like a good system. Just wondering how long if it can last long term, and if other places can adopt it.
- ArleneBarlow 11y agoprobably because the aquifer is naturally filtered through rock and is not exposed to surface contaminants
- tonfa 11y agoYes, the ground acts as the filter. There's a similar setup in Zurich, ground water is directly drinkable (iirc they oxygenate it a bit for test), while the lake water goes through sand filters (it is generally drinkable, but much better to remove particles). Something weird I learned while visiting is that they put extra chalk on purpose to prevent pipes from deteriorating in old buildings (they experimented with lower amounts and had some troubles with leakage).
- DrScump 11y agoThey are, but they aren't like canteens -- you can't just empty one indefinitely and refill it arbitrarily later. Aquifers can collapse into voids that should have water, and being full of fresh water helps prevent intrusion by saltwater near the coasts (this is happening in the Central Coast even now), or by fracking waste in fracked areas.
- tonfa 11y agoWhere I live (CH) they reinject water into the ground as they pump it, to preserve the aquifer levels. iirc they have some kind of pressure monitoring. The water there is already purified and clean (slowly went through rocks). It's actually super impressive to see the well, it is so clear that the water level is not visible, looks like it is totally empty.
- DrScump 11y agoMore on California's collapsing aquifers: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10799116 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10799116