About rich nations and water. President of Iran said we drink (or use, or waste) too much water.

[raccoon]

I totally agree.

I went on a mission trip to Honduras three years ago. The people we saw there didn't have running water; they collected water in cisterns. I leave to your imagination how drinkable that water might have been.

I think of how we in the US use DRINKABLE water to water our lawns, to wash our clothes, to flush our toilets. It bothers me.

I try to be as frugal with water as I can, because I can't get that out of my mind.

[meeshrox]

1. Yes, as someone with employment experience at the water management district

We should be using about 25% of what we currently consume. %50 of the potable water use (drinkable) is wasted on our lawns. We do not collect and reuse grey water. Drought-tolerant landscaping should be the norm and we should ban St. Augustine grass (in Florida). It completely goes along with the way Americans live their lives, waste and overindulgence!

R.I.D.I.C.U.L.O.U.S!

[leftofcool]

2. We collect water in rain barrels for my plants and yard

and sometimes I will wash my hair with it. We don't drink it though.

[meeshrox]

4. That's great! I have a rain barrel for my garden

but it is definitely not for drinking. I just wish that more people were more cognizant of the consequences of wasting water!

:toast:

[The Croquist]

3. I agree

We should save it and sell it to him for 80 dollars a barrel.

Honestly I agree that we do waste allot of water but a lack of running water in Honduras isn't going to be helped by us conserving water in the US. Honduras has plenty of water.

I usually use tap water on my garden but I rarely water the lawn and if I do I pump it out of a stream. Living outside of Atlanta we are always under water rationing but it has nothing to do with a lack of rainfall but a rapidly growing population.

I remember during our drought a few years ago a mention that something like 50% of the water leaks from pipes before it even gets close to the user.

[raccoon]

5. The problem isn't not enough water; it's enough potable water. nt

[The Croquist]

6. You're right

I should have chosen my words better but the point still is that conserving water in the US will not help people in Honduras. They need potable water in plumbing and what's more non-potable water in separate pipes for those areas where they irrigate. I've never been there so you would know more about it then me.

In Atlanta the storm sewer system dumps into the regular sewer system. As a result, when they have heavy rain storms the treatment plants get overloaded and they dump raw sewage into the Chattahoochee river. Needless to say this is considered a bad thing. It doesn't do much for the people or animals down stream either.

On edit:

It should say that I've never been there <Honduras> so raccoon would know more about it then me.