3 ms·
85% of water use in Utah goes to agriculture but people focus on lawns because they can see them. Most water issues in the west are caused by contracts made bac
by Sevii 4y ago
85% of water use in Utah goes to agriculture but people focus on lawns because they can see them. Most water issues in the west are caused by contracts made back when nobody lived there and there was tons of water to go around. Now those contracts are in effect a water subsidy to legacy agricultural interests.
- HWR_14 4y agoThere wasn't even as much water to go around back then as the contracts stated. They divided something like 20% more water than existed. They knew at the time that everyone was promised too much, but no one cared because they never hit the real physical limit.
- masklinn 4y agoAnd weren't the measurements also based on a very wet year or somesuch?
- HWR_14 4y agoThe politicians may have used a very wet year to justify dividing more water than existed normally, but I believe the scientific community back then knew that the numbers were too high and was ignored.
- s1artibartfast 4y agoPeople focus on cities use efficiency because it is a way to do more with what water the cities have. If people use half as much, you can have twice the population with the same water budget. The only viable alternative is to purchase more water rights for the cities, which is generally a political non-starter
- kortilla 4y ago> people use half as much, you can have twice the population with the same water budget. No you can’t, salt lake will be gone if all residential use disappears and agriculture does nothing. The article was very clear on how dire this is.
- nostromo 4y agoThis is partly true. The other reason is because lawns are ornamental and food is utilitarian.
- HDThoreaun 4y agoThe argument against this is that food is needed to survive and provides jobs for the community. Lawns are nothing but a nice to have.