California is facing a water shortage as the Colorado River, which supplies much of Southern California, has lowered due to drought. Two potential solutions are proposed: limiting water usage and increasing desalination of ocean water. Desalination could solve water shortage problems but poses environmental risks like harm to marine life from pipelines and producing concentrated salt water. These issues can be addressed by using renewable energy for desalination plants and newer technologies that are more environmentally friendly. Limiting water usage in the short term could allow time for desalination technology to improve and the environment to recover water levels.

1. California’s Water Solution By Travis Pirtle

2. California is About to Face a Water Shortage Southern California has relied on the Colorado River for years. The Colorado River has lowered in time. The River also supplies places such as Las Vegas.

3. How Much Shortage?

4. About the Shortage The above picture is what Lake Mead, Nevada looked like back in 1999 when the drought started. The bottom picture shows the Hover Dam at the same time during the drought and what is 80 feet below level. Water has risen since then People should not take water usage for granted. Both Photos taken by Jim Wilson of the New York Times.

5. Solution To Follow Northern California is supplied by two rivers: The Sacramento and the San Joaquin. The Sacramento River helps supply southern California. Possibly fusing together other small lakes and streams? Not enough to supply. Solution 1: limit water usage. Solution 2: desalination.

6. Water Limit Solution Laundromats decrease hours of operation and days per week. Make use of only public pools, not home. Car wash use of one wash per month per vehicle. Limit outside watering to once per week. Limiting water usage would help preserve what water there is in the Colorado River and possibly give nature time to raise the water level.

7. Desalination Solution Drinking straight salt water. Highly unlikely. Process is very popular in Saudi Arabia. This would solve water shortage problems. In the U.S., cities would have to meet certain criteria to undergoe desalination.

8. Desalination Process Uses the ocean for the water supply. Water goes through huge pipelines to filtration. The filtration desalts the water. After desalting, the water goes through purification. Two purification choices: Distillation and Reverse Osmosis

9. Environmental Issues Such a great solution, what is wrong with it? Pipelines pose danger to marine life. Consumes a great amount of energy to run a desalination plant. Concentrated salt water remains from purification process goes back into the ocean.

10. Environmental Solutions Use solar power and wind power to help run the desalination plants. Use heavy duty iron grids to be placed on the pipeline intakes to prevent marine life getting sucked in. For the purification process, there is newer technology that is environment friendly and help reduce salt water waste.

11. Conclusion Water reservation is really important at this time. Setting water limitations for use will most likely give nature a chance to replenish water to the river. Prolonging water usage of primary source will allow technology to improve for desalination in aspect of energy efficiency and environmental safety. California is one of the largest agricultural states. No water means the U.S. economy will be effected as of food shortage.

12. References Greenemeier, L. (2010, April 07). Coastal California City Turns to Desalination to Quench Its Thirst. Retrieved August 02, 2011, from Scientific America: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=california-desalination-reverse-osmosis Shankman, S. (2009, July 10). California Gives Desalination Plants a Fresh Look. Retrieved August 02, 2011, from The Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124708765072714061.html PR, N. (2011, August 8). World Desalination Components and Technologies. PR Newswire US. Retrieved from EBSCOhost..