Hard water, hard choices
Posted: Thursday, September 27, 2007 3:53 PM by Sam Singal
Filed Under:
Environment
By Anne Thompson, NBC News chief environmental affairs correspondent
We've all heard a lot about our "carbon footprint." Tonight, on Nightly News we are going to take a look at our "water footprint." I know, you're thinking this is going to be about low-flow toilets and drip irrigation systems. That is part of the story, but the bigger part is learning about how Americans use water. It impacts almost every aspect of our lives in large and small ways. Do you have any idea how much water it takes to produce the food you'll eat today? How about where Americans use the most water? Is it inside our homes or outside? As a country, are we using more or less water today than a couple of decades ago?
As you ponder those questions, think about Phoenix, Arizona. This desert metropolis is in the second decade of a drought, yet there are no water restrictions. Though desert landscaping is becoming more and more popular, producer Clare Duffy and I saw some people there watering their very green lawns in the middle of the day when the temperature topped 100 degrees! Clare's mom and my brother, who live about a mile apart in the coastal town of Hingham, Massachusetts would be envious. They are under water restrictions and they can't water their lawns at all.
Conservation is a hot topic in Phoenix. (Please feel free to groan at the pun) The area's water is imported. And with projections that the population will double by 2040, concerned citizens and entrepreneurs are trying to find smarter ways to use this precious resource. Growth is a big part of the economy, but Phoenix can't grow without water.
One of the most ingenious things we saw concerns pools. In Phoenix, pools are almost as plentiful as cacti. How else would you survive temperatures that top 100 degrees? But pools take a lot of water... some 16-thousand gallons on average. That water is hard, filled with minerals, and only becomes "harder" as it evaporates, leaving the minerals behind that can aggravate your skin, hair and ruin the filters and machinery needed to keep pools clean. To change the water, homeowners would have to use some 32-thousand gallons. So what's a pool owner, who doesn't want to waste water to do?
There's a company that can change the water without wasting a drop. Calsaway patented a process that does just that. Watch how it works. It is truly a fascinating process. We will also show you how one developer in Phoenix is conserving water with style. And we will answer those questions I raised at the start. I think the answers will surprise you.
