Environmental issues exist in all communities, big or small, and whether your realize it or not. Some are more of a problem than others while others are easy to fix. Here in Florida, water scarcity becomes a big problem through out winter and spring due to lack of rain, and overtime that lack of rain has an effect on our local reservoirs. You may think that by being a peninsula we wouldn't have this much of an issue, especially living near the gulf but the fact is is that salt water is not used often for everyday use such as drinking. We rely on reservoirs , such as Tampa’s regional one. This means that everyone in the Tampa Bay area shares from this water reservoir and when there is a shortage it can mean big problems.
Take a look at the flow-chart below :
You can see how an issue in an area can have a large impact somewhere else and even in the future.
Businesses, especially farmers, are severely affected by water shortages. Farmers rely on water to water their crops; in my area, strawberry farms are huge and they require a lot of water through the months of January to March not just for the sole purpose of watering them but sometimes it is needed to cover the berries in a thick coat of ice when it gets really cold at night. The issue also affects our government, locally, because they then have to step forth and begin helping with water management and setting laws if the issue were to continue getting worse; but it does much more damage than just that, Florida’s economy relies on agriculture quite a bit (not as much as tourism or fishing, of course) if farmers here cannot produce enough healthy crops because of a water shortage it hurts our economy; and on a national level it could possibly even alter the price of fruits, such as strawberries and oranges, altogether. Last year we had a surplus of strawberries and it began lowering the price or worth of strawberries on a state and national level; a shortage would mean that prices would go up, this is good for farmers but not very good for consumers.
So, we have an issue but how do we fix it? Simple, we begin brainstorming practical solutions along with their externalities and prices. Possibly the easiest solution would be bringing awareness of the issue through the media so people become aware of it and start conserving water but this is not always an effective measure; the same goes for enforcing better water conservation laws due to the fact people still break laws regardless. The other options are a bit more expensive but they are improve sewage companies’ filtration systems and encourage recycled water or encourage the implantation of desalination systems.
So here's the externalities of each issue.
- Enforcing better laws towards water conservation.
Positive: Less money from tax payers; may promote water conservation on a higher level, such as taking back care of lakes and rivers, and cut down on water pollution.
Negative: It may not be as effective; the laws may be ignored and the problem may continue to persist and worsen; it maybe not even be helpful in the future.
- Water companies should look through their records and see which companies or households are consuming large amounts of water and warn them/fine them.
Positive: Promotes more caution towards water usage and conservation; fairly cheap solution; would help control the issue on a small level.
Negative: More money is wasted on fining people than paying workers; it only brings awareness but not a solution to the issue for now or the future.
- Improve sewage companies’ filtration systems and encourage recycled water.
Positive: Decreases water pollution, can be used in ways to enhance protection for endangered bioms (like bogs, swamps, wetlands); less water being used from lakes, river, and aquifers.
Negative: If not taken care of properly or checked bacteria may be present in the water and make others sick; excess methane gas may contribute to air pollution and the greenhouse effect.
- Encourage the implantation (or more use) of desalination systems.
Positive: Using water from the gulf or ocean saves local lakes, rivers, and aquifers from being used up; less air pollution from using sewage treatment systems (since they give off methane gas) as a main source of recycling water.
Negatives: Over time it may affect marine life; very expensive for everyday use and as a main source of water; may be expensive to repair if it breaks; doesn't promote water conservation.
- How does each possible solution for your chosen issue meet or fail to meet each of your criteria? Explain.
Each solution, as stated above, has many possible positive and negative externalities. I'm looking for a solution that has a good chance of solving or controlling the issue but without too many or serious negative externalities, as well as not costing my city or state too much money. For the money part of my criteria it's a given that a desalination system would not fit because it would cost too much, not to install one because Tampa already has one, but to put it into everyday use. The same issue goes for improving sewage plants and encouraging the use of recycling or reusing water, even for everyday needs. Both are more expensive solutions but unlike the other two they would get the job done; setting laws and fining people are much cheaper and are safer but the effectiveness of them is probably much lower.
- Based on your research, which is the best solution to turn into action? Explain why you made this choice over the other possible solutions. Refer back to the criteria and externalities.
After thinking it over a bit and doing a bit more research on my solution options, I think the best solution would be to improve sewage systems and encourage reusing water. The technology is there and is currently used by Singapore and is a success. The process works similar to our the ones normal sewage plants follow to remove waste from water; the water goes through a filtration system that removes the solid waste and bacteria but a few more steps are added on such as reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection to ensure the water is purified and free of chemicals and anything else that slipped through the 2 other steps. This means that through this process cities could reuse their water over and over and not have to worry about talking water from reservoirs, lakes, or rivers unless it's an emergency. It works not only as a temporary solution but permanent too. It's not as expensive as the desalination process and more effective than the other two solutions. And the fact that the cleaning and filtration is so precise there isn't much to worry about bacteria or parasites slipping through and making people sick unless there is a problem with one of the systems. It has proven to be an effective and safe solution in Singapore and I think it would just as well here.
Sources:
EPA. Accessed April 17, 2011. http://www.epa.gov/region9/water/recycling/.
EPA. Accessed April 17, 2011. http://www.epa.gov/region07/kids/drnk_b.htm.
Yahoo. Accessed April 17, 2011. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090815174118AA2jQ7o.
USGS. Accessed April 17, 2011. http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuww.html.
ADB. Accessed April 22, 2011. http://www.adb.org/Water/Actions/sin/NEWater-Sewage-Safe.asp.
No comments:
Post a Comment