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Water is more scarce than you think. We're depleting groundwater faster than it is being replenished in a _vast_ swath of the country. See: https://www.washingt

Water is more scarce than you think. We're depleting groundwater faster than it is being replenished in a _vast_ swath of the country. See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/08/06/mapping-strain-our-water/?arc404=true https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2019/08/0... Even in regions where surface water is plentiful, making water fit for human use is a _significant_ user of energy. Even if it was cold water, it takes a lot of energy to pump water, filter water, and treat water after use.

coding123 7y ago
There are people that know this. The vast majority of people are totally ignoring it. You can even type this, it will be skipped over. It's an absolute nightmare waiting to happen.
jcranmer 7y ago
Depleting groundwater is mostly caused by agriculture, which in effect, is literally exporting water. Treated sewage is available for reuse as treated drinking water (sticking your wastewater treatment plant upstream of your water treatment plant makes people less squeamish about the idea), which means that it can form part of a cycle with >95% reuse capability. Reducing the amount in that flow doesn't do much to solve the water stress issues, particularly if people choose to reduce that component instead of the other components (such as lawn care) that actually do matter greatly.