Thanks Adam Gaffin, at Univeral Hub… Thank goodness, bottled water sales are not yet prohibited in the towns affected by this catastrophic main break.
The 10-foot wide main, by the way, was only six years old. — MB
via Aquapocalypse has a theme song | Universal Hub.
Water shortages won't be her fault. Photo: D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr CC
270 gallons of H2O = 1lb of processed sugar. — MB
Think about this, the next time a TV actor implores you to skip shaving, or fix a leaky faucet: The US energy industry hogs almost half of country’s water supply each year for its largely inefficient plants.
And, for those of you seeking a “gotcha” on this one, the figure — from a first-of-its-kind study, looking at industrial water consumption — does not include hydroelectric power.
Agribusiness wastes water like crazy, as well. From the new report, an example:
“Manufacturers, farmers, shippers and others in the ‘supply chain’ use almost 270 gallons of water to put $1 worth of sugar on supermarket shelves, according to a new study documenting American industry’s water use.”
Think clean thoughts. Photo: Chad Miller/Flickr CC
I still drink more bottled water then makes sense anymore.
But this new report (link, excerpt, below) is not at all heartening, as it comes in the wake of many embarrassing stories about Massachusetts’ crappy municipal supplies.
See, the trouble is that even if MWRA is doing a good job providing clean water, Massachusetts’ towns have a knack for fouling-up the end product.
NOTE: MWRA reservoirs are well-protected and very few contaminants are ever found. During 2004 and early 2005, there were short-term high TTHM levels during a changeover in treatment. Since the change to ozone in July 2005, TTHM levels are now at all-time lows with averages of about 5-15 ppb.
Mars water might be the new Perrier. Photo: CC/Burns!
Perhaps NASA can bottle the stuff, and bring it back to Earth, for sale to elite consumers.
Planum Boreum, Mar’s north polar cap contains water ice “of a very high degree of purity,” according to an international study. Using radar data from the SHARAD (SHAllow RADar) instrument on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), French researchers say the data point to 95 percent purity in the polar ice cap. The north polar cap is a dome of layered, icy materials, similar to the large ice caps in Greenland and Antarctica, consisting of layered deposits, with mostly ice and a small amount of dust. Combined, the north and south polar ice caps are believed to hold the equivalent of two to three million cubic kilometers (0.47-0.72 million cu. miles) of ice, making it roughly 100 times more than the total volume of North America’s Great Lakes, which is 22,684 cu. kms (5,439 miles).
via Lots of Pure Water Ice at Mars North Pole | Universe Today.
Photo: CC/Danny Barron
Some readers of my Boston Globe column today caught a glitch (and a few of those got their knickers twisted) over my thoughts about the WaterMill, a device that sucks drinking water out of the air.
Here’s one very reasonable remark, from “Dave-P-2“:
The WaterMill, although sounding like a good idea, costs $2,000 and takes 11.0 cents of energy to produce a gallon — up to three gallons per day.
I’m all for alternative energy sources, but Mark, do you really think this cool device “should take a bite out of the water bill for most families”?
via These retro phones won’t bust the budget – The Boston Globe
Touché. In my piece, I should have written, “bottled water costs.” But with the solar panel powering the WaterMill, which I do mention, you could theoretically begin making potable water for free.
I also understand that many people prefer the taste, the fluoride and the low costs they get with their municipal water supplies. They also trust the government more than themselves to provide clean water for their families.