Kati Adams 2015 Winning Scholarship Essay

Kati Adams, Hedley High School

The continuously growing shortage of water is of great concern for Texas residents as well as many other states across the nation. The two proposed suggestions to help conserve water and use it more efficiently have many advantages that will help with the recirculation of water for extended use. With extensive drought conditions coupled with the growing population, matters have to be taken now to ensure there is enough water for later generations. Since water is a nonrenewable resource, new ideas and methods have to reshape the way water is used and invent ways to safely store and treat water.

The first discussed method is the use of brackish groundwater. By reusing brackish groundwater, it helps to reduce the amount of water used and improves water efficiency, especially in urban populations. By using this type of water, it preserves water found underground in aquifers and allows them to regenerate themselves. The lengthy amount of time that it takes for water to reach the aquifer can be avoided by using water that is already on the surface. Another advantage is that the amount of quality drinking water can increase by desalination of sea water. By using sea water near coastal cities, it could reduce the amount of fresh water used and preserve aquifers. Since brackish water is found in estuaries and natural occurrences around rivers, as well as oceans, some argue that by using this water for public use, it could disturb natural ecosystems and endanger animal habitats. Another major disadvantage of using this method is the high costs of the reverse osmosis process. In order to remove the salt in the water, a series of desalination processes have to be used to make the water safe for drinking. The excessive funds that are required to develop and operate these systems are major disadvantages of this process.

The Aquifer Storage and Recovery program’s main goal is to reintroduce clean and safe drinking water back into an aquifer for later use. Water that is not needed can be pumped back into the ground where it is safe from evaporation and other ways of contamination, or loss of precious water. Natural disasters that cause major flooding in low lying areas can be remedied with this program. By saving this water that is not needed and causes harm to areas, can be pumped into aquifers that can be used during drought times when water is crucially needed. This method of water conservation is helpful because water can be pumped out again when there is a shortage of drinking water or water used for agriculture, as well as many other purposes. Aquifer Storage and Recovery is also a more cost effective remedy than the expensive desalination process, and doesn’t require large man-made reservoirs that require a generous amount of funds to develop. By eliminating the need for dams and above ground water holding facilities, it also reduces the harmful effects that development has on an ecosystem and animal habitats.

In order to preserve and use water as efficiently as possible, measures have to be taken to reduce water loss and maximize water storage and allocation. By using Brackish Water and Aquifer Storage and Recovery, we can conserve water and solve many problems that come with water shortages as well as natural disasters that cause major flooding and cause harm to people’s well-being. Both methods of conservation have new ideas that will greatly improve the usage and treatment of water. The many advantages of both programs are well worth the disadvantages that accompany them.