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I am anchor
Letters
Wheat: Development, other uses using up resource faster
Posted
By Robert L. Wheat, Sun City
I was just thinking about our water shortage in this country.
I did a little research. My object in this article is to show that our country cannot afford to support additional use of our water systems, whether it be through immigration, new construction, etc. Our water table is the lowest it has ever been. Just look at Lake Mead.
We are building more and more homes, which need, needless to say, water. We are coming to crunch time. Something is going to have to give. We either stop building, stop immigration or stop using water in the amounts we do.
If you go into a restaurant the waitstaff almost always sets a glass of water on your table whether you ask for it or not and it is normally a large glass. Now what happens to that water after you leave? It is dumped into the drain (waste water). The glass needs to be washed for the next patron. Washing the glass requires soap. soap that goes into the drain (waste water), which is not good for the environment. Why don’t the restaurant waitstaff ask if you want water? Why don’t the restaurants just use smaller glasses? Then there will be less water going into the drain (waste water). Smaller glasses will mean less storage.
I could go on and on, but I won’t. I’m sure you get the picture by now.
Following is a very, very conservative example of what an impact of an additional 12 million people has on our water (12 million is the government estimated total of undocumented people in this country). The following figures are what the average person uses daily — 5-minute shower uses 17 gallons times 12 million equals 204 million, toilet use five times multiplied by 1.6 gallons times 12 million equals 96 million, washing dishes four gallons times 12 million equals 48 million, cooking two gallons times 12 million equals 24 million, washing clothes seven gallons times 12 million equals 84 million, drinking water ,5 gallon times 12 million equals 6 million; total daily water usage is 462 million in gallons for 12 million people.
Editor’s Note: The Independent welcomes all points of view. Email your opinions, pro or con, to AzOpinions@iniusa.org.
