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Water is not a constraint, it follows the same laws of supply and demand as other resources, and even when in demand, remains among the cheapest. It's actually

Water is not a constraint, it follows the same laws of supply and demand as other resources, and even when in demand, remains among the cheapest. It's actually very easy to reduce consumption (0.5 GPM faucets, 1 GPM showers and 0.7 GPF toilets), stretch the supply (grey water systems), reuse it almost indefinitely (teriary treated water), increase real supply (pipelines/aqueducts/water trucks/desalination), etc. Even if your locality has to foot the bill for some huge, expensive water projects like those, it's still going to cost a tiny fraction of your household expenditures. Whereas scare land in popular cities will cost you the bulk of your income for decades.

yowlingcat 6y ago
Very interesting. I've been thinking for a while about what a /large/ Arcosanti-esque desert oasis planned megacity would look like. This is probably the first question that I run into in my mind. On the plus side, the location means that you've got among the most promising conditions for harnessing solar power in the states.
- ethanwillis 6y ago
  Good solar conditions in a desert are probably offset by the heating and cooling costs required for wild temperature swings in such an environment. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen anyone normalize the energy production potential of an area based on the energy needs that are localized for that area.
ip26 6y ago
going to cost a tiny fraction of your house... Wellington, CO is discussing increasing the tap fee for building a new home to $67k, in a place where homes typically cost $380k.
PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
The infrastructure required to "reuse [water] almost indefinitely" is a major investment for any municipality. Major investments are generally seen as constraints. I live near Santa Fe, and the mid-to-long term forecast for water supply is pretty dire. Humans have lived in the area for a long time, and it's not likely to become completely dry. But will there be enough to support e.g. a doubling of the county population? This seems unlikely, even with the sorts of changes in use and infrastructure that you mention.

yowlingcat 6y ago

Very interesting. I've been thinking for a while about what a /large/ Arcosanti-esque desert oasis planned megacity would look like. This is probably the first question that I run into in my mind. On the plus side, the location means that you've got among the most promising conditions for harnessing solar power in the states.

ethanwillis 6y ago
Good solar conditions in a desert are probably offset by the heating and cooling costs required for wild temperature swings in such an environment. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen anyone normalize the energy production potential of an area based on the energy needs that are localized for that area.

ip26 6y ago

going to cost a tiny fraction of your house... Wellington, CO is discussing increasing the tap fee for building a new home to $67k, in a place where homes typically cost $380k.

PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago

The infrastructure required to "reuse [water] almost indefinitely" is a major investment for any municipality. Major investments are generally seen as constraints. I live near Santa Fe, and the mid-to-long term forecast for water supply is pretty dire. Humans have lived in the area for a long time, and it's not likely to become completely dry. But will there be enough to support e.g. a doubling of the county population? This seems unlikely, even with the sorts of changes in use and infrastructure that you mention.