"If you live in Denver, Las Vegas, Tucson or Pheonix, you might need to think about moving - soon. When 'Day Zero' happens, you could not give houses away in cities which have no water. Think about that chip manufacturer who just built a huge plant in Phoenix. Chip manufacturing takes lots of water. What were they thinking? They were not thinking at all."
News flash! Our world is awash in water. Over 70% of the planet is full of water. Now the bad news. Most of that 70% is non-potable water. Good for saltwater fishes, and that is about it. Our nation has had water since the get-go. But now we have some challenges which have been ignored for years. In particular, we have some of our larger cities which are starting to run out of drinking water. And when that happens, those cities will have to migrate to "Plan B". The only problem is - there is no "Plan B".
Four of the harder hit cities are Las Vegas, Denver, Tucson, and Pheonix. Western cities, who are in the middle of a serious multi-decade drought. Here is the issue - those cities continue to grow, and the available water continues to shrink. Snowpacks, which are the lifeblood of the west, are not what they once were. Lake Powell and Lake Meade are close to "dead pool" status. The once mighty Colorado River has way too many straws coming out of it, and it too is shrinking.
Most Americans use about 80 gallons of water per day. Oh yes - we use water for just about everything. The last gasp before the taps run dry, is when cities go on a mandatory rationing program. That is where only 8 to 10 gallons per person per day will be allowed. That would be a huge problem for many. However, when "Day Zero" comes, there will be no water to use. Zip. Taps run dry. Mexico City has flirted with that day for years. Pheonix might only be five years away from "Day Zero". And then what?
When I say there is no "Plan B" for these cities, there really is no plan should "Day Zero" come. We have been warned about this situation for years. We have done nothing. For example, the number of desalination plants we have built in the last couple of decades is peanuts. With almost 100,000 miles of shoreline (including Alaska and Hawaii), a few dozen well placed desalination plants could be a lifeline to thirsty cities. But these plants take time to build. Permitting is required. NIMBY needs to be overcome. With Phoenix only being five years from "Day Zero", we really need to start on these plants yesterday.
MIT is developing something known as Atmospheric Water Generation (AWG). It would be taking water out of the air, even in low humidity. That is the good news. The bad news - it is only in the development phase. Years away, maybe many decades away from having it scaled where it could be used for cities. For a current crisis like we have right now, it is too little, too late.
If you live in Denver, Las Vegas, Tucson or Pheonix, you might need to think about moving - soon. When "Day Zero" happens, you could not give houses away in cities which have no water. Think about that chip manufacturer who just built a huge plant in Phoenix. Chip manufacturing takes lots of water. What were they thinking? They were not thinking at all.
