California Water Crisis Research Paper

Decent Essays
Most of us have all heard about the water crisis going on around the world, but have you ever thought of ways to fix this problem? Many people take our running water for granted, using more than necessary and not thinking of the consequences. One of the states with the biggest water problem is California, as they are faced with drought conditions. The purpose of this paper is to examine if the process of desalination is the answer to the water crisis going on in California. One of the main sections of this paper has to do with the advantages and disadvantages, look at the different desalination processes like reverse osmosis, renewable energy options, and analyzing current plants. The environmental concerns and limitations is a big concern for residents close to the plants. Examining the brine discharge and …show more content…
Lastly looking into the ways we can use this water will be beneficial to know if wanting to implement desalination plants since they can be used for more than just domestic uses, it can also be used for irrigation. The discussion section of this paper will talk about how this process seems to be a good solution to the problem going on in California and has several different renewable energy options. The renewable energy options are important to some areas of the United States as they are concerned with the emissions and greenhouse gasses produced by fossil fuels. Also one of the major concerns with this process is the brine discharge that is added back into the seawater and whether it is harmful to the species and ecosystem or not. Finally the discussion will cover the potential uses of the desalinated water. In the end, desalination is a beneficial and cost effective method with limited environmental concerns when it comes to solving the water crisis problem in California and other parts of the

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    It is common knowledge that as the population increases at such an astronomical, record breaking speed, more resources are impacted. One of these resources is water, the basic building block of life. Water is essential for agriculture, drinking water, and wildlife. And due to the recent droughts California has faced, a debate has arisen over the question that baffles many; Whose water is it? The article published in The Fresno Bee (Fresno’s Mainstream Media), addresses this issue with a pun filled, persuasive article titled, “River Plan Too Fishy For My Taste Buds”.…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over-pumping Aquifers in Central Valley Of all the states in our great nation , California uses more water from the ground than any other, and up to 80 percent of that water is used for agriculture. This mainly happens as a result of the depletion of the Shasta and Oroville Lakes; the federal government’s main source of water for the Central Valley. Since the drought began four years ago, the farms around the central valley have not been getting the provisions they’ve requested form the state, and as a result, have turned to pumping water out of the reservoirs in the ground. These underground reservoirs are called aquifers, and are among the most valuable resources in California.…

    • 530 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Based on the Article “California tries one solution to water problems-treating seawater” I think that California should not build this seawater plant. This is because it is too expensive, It doesn’t give us a lot of water, and It is harming our environment. The first reason why I think that California should not build this seawater plant is because it is too expensive. The text states “The project is expected to cost $1 billion.” This is a lot of money.…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    It is not as energy intensive as reverse osmosis, it allows for heavy chemical to be collected throughout the evaporation so there isn't as much pollution, and we have a large source of sea water and it might motivate us to clean up our coastal areas more. There would also be less cost in transporting the water since the source would be much closer to the residents. There is a possibility of competition between the oil rigs, the fisheries, and the water plant for available space, but I’m sure we could figure something out. It would also create more jobs close to…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Study of California’s newest Drought Determining when drought develops is a function of drought impacts and water users. Drought is best sought as a period of dry weather, and extended shortage of water, especially a long one that is injurious to crops. This is a dangerous hydrologic condition that not only concerns water users in the affected area but also in some other locations some water users exempt but not all the way safe. Drought is a abnormal circumstance if it is insistent. Drought is a gradual emergency.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The human body is made up of 50-70% of water, (Howard) so freshwater is very important to everyone. Despite this, most people do not conserve water, and this has a huge impact on our environment. Water scarcity may bot be as big of a deal in the US than some other countries, but California is in a drought, which raises concerns for residents. What exactly do humans need freshwater for? Well, a part from safe drinking water, we also use freshwater to "irrigate crops, as part of sanitation systems, and in industrial factories..." among other things.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We can all allow the government to come up with a solution to fix Salton Sea but that might take longer than other solutions. We as a nation can spend tens of billions of dollars to create a system that can produce fresh water by using ocean water, but that might take years to be able to produce large amounts of fresh water at a time. Both ideas, are great ideas, but they are both long term ideas. We need to find a solution that can help Salton Sea as soon as a possible. Proposed Solution…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    2. The drought in California isn’t just a natural disaster but is also a man made one in another critical sense by capitalist governments largely beholden to giant energy cooperation 's refusal to seriously address the issue. Since the states founding in 1850 water policies have never been carried out in a rational scientific or democratic fashion, but rather subordinated to powerful corporate interests that include but are not limited to agribusiness, real estate, and finical aristocracy. 3. Two-thirds of California’s precipitation falls in the northern portion of the state, while two-thirds of all Californians live to the south.…

    • 1382 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Some of these include an enormous environmental impact, producing contaminated water, extremely costly and a massive amount of energy is required. It is for these reasons alone that desalination of water should definitely not to be used or continued to be used to help solve this water crisis. Desalination is the long process of removing salt from seawater. Where the extracted salt is placed can have an enormous environmental impact on the wildlife, rivers, creeks, plants etc. That salt alone can kill the wildlife, animals and vegetation if it comes in contact with them.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Desalination Plants

    • 134 Words
    • 1 Pages

    In the positive side, desalination plants are situated far away from urban neighborhoods. Actually, the ones that are already working are located in industrial zones, which mean that there are not risks for people. One aspect that companies have in consideration is that they have to construct the plants to make the undertakings more secure over the long haul. On the other hand, one plant can supply more than 500 million liters of water that is useful for drinking, which is an extensively high sum, changing the way we acquire water. The method of reverse osmosis ended up being viable in making a crisp wellspring of drinking water that is required in conveying the medical advantages to individuals, and in addition, people would have adequate…

    • 134 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Water is constantly changing. According to Charles Fishman, the author of The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water, he states, “Water is unpredictable. Water is fickle. But that is water’s nature. The fickleness, the variability, is itself predictable” (319).…

    • 1658 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Fighting Back Against Water Pollution Water pollution needs to be reviewed as the increase in toxins in possible drinking water has increased in the last 20 years. Through the use of our technology and use alternative renewable energy sources, re-evaluating our usage and methods of disposing waste preserving both fresh and marine water in the United States. A common discrepancy that is brought up when discussing water pollution is whether the cost will become too large to even begin creating change, that the amount of resources required to implement could be used elsewhere for a more immediate impact. The discussion of environmental problems is a topic of many political debates, but throughout the years scientific evidence has documented the…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Desalination is the process where salt is removed from seawater or brackish water. People have been trying to remove salt from seawater since around 300 BC. People such as “Aristotle in 1320 BC, Rome’s Pliny the Elder in 70 AD, Greece’s Alexander of Aphrodisias in 200 AD, French Explorer Jean De Lery in Brazil in 1565, and James Cook during his circumnavigation around the world have tried to desalinate seawater .” (Desalination Overview – November 2013) Humans and animals cannot drink salt water, as it would be harmful to their body.…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Chocat et al. (2007) explains that in order for the water system to remain functional, it must move from a traditional approach to a more integrated decentralised technological approach through the use of ‘fit-for-purpose’ methods. Jefferson et al. (2005) investigated a substitution method to produce a framework that incorporates all the possible advantages of alternative water sources, by meeting the demands of a growing society. Additionally, Khouri (2006) explains that integrated water cycle management creates new water service solutions, through ample tasks that combat population growth and the gruelling change in climate.…

    • 818 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It removes most water contaminants and chemicals, and uses the ocean as a renewable source. In the future, water desalination may become a necessary source to produce the much-needed fresh water. Although there are a few flaws in the desalination process, it may prove to be have a key role in the future of the world's fresh water production. Primrose Plants…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays