Well, take a good look at what conservative "solutions" get you. Continually growing an unsustainably big population while depleting resources and causing global warming get you 5 billion in agricultural losses, minimum wage jobs and pee to drink. This is what America has in store if we elect Texans instead of learning from their mistakes. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Desperate to drink, West Texas turns to wastewater By Ed Lavandera, CNN Correspondent August 11, 2011 12:26 p.m. EDT Big Spring, Texas (CNN) -- Desperate times call for a tall, cool glass of creativity in this patch of West Texas where water is scarce and quickly disappearing. But a plan to pump millions of new gallons of drinking water into the system has many people across West Texas holding their noses. This week construction started on a $13 million water-reclamation facility. That's a fancy way of describing a treatment plant that will turn sewage wastewater into drinking water. "That's not something I even want to think about," said Eunice Thixton, a Big Spring resident. "It really doesn't sound too good." There are three major reservoirs that provide drinking water for half a million people who live around Midland, Texas. But the drought is draining those lakes and threatens to create major water shortages in the months ahead. This is an age-old problem in the dust-hardened landscape of West Texas. For decades, oil has flowed strongly out of the ground here, but the hunt for water is a more difficult game. This is where John Grant comes in. He's the director of the Colorado River Municipal Water District, a government agency providing water for cities and towns including Odessa, Midland, Stanton, Big Spring and Snyder. Grant is essentially the salesman of the water-reclamation project. Gallery: Extreme drought hits Texas Basically he has to reassure people they're not going to be drinking their own urine. "I see a lot of humor in it," Grant said. "There was a fella over in Midland that I heard made the comment that at least he gets to drink his beer twice now." Twelve years ago, Grant thought it was crucial to develop new sources of drinking water. Water reclamation was gaining in popularity; the specially treated wastewater is most often used to supply water for industrial uses and watering landscapes, like golf courses. Grant says water-reclamation technology has improved greatly and will be a vital part of providing drinking water for parts of the country struggling to keep reservoirs full. The water-reclamation process involves a complex series of treatment. The water will be disinfected, de-mineralized, disinfected again and mixed with water from the reservoir and then re-treated again. "We live in a drought-prone area. You need to look at other alternatives, and that's the unique thing about this," said Grant. One of the reservoirs that provide water is EV Spence near the town of Robert Lee. The lake is on the only source of drinking water for the town of 1,000 people. That lake is at less than 1% of capacity. Deep, dried-out crevices are easily visible across the lake bottom. When full, the water in the EV Spence Reservoir can be 83 feet deep. Today, there are only splotches of water across the dried-out land. Robert Lee Mayor John Jacobs says the lake will stop providing water in the next six months. He doesn't have the budget to build a water-reclamation plant, but the mayor wishes he could build one of these plants even if it doesn't sit well with residents. "I think that'll be the coming for all of us in the desert Southwest," Jacobs said. "Turn the water off and see how long it takes for people to get thirsty." The Big Spring Water Reclamation Plant will be finished by late next year. John Grant says the plant will provide 2 million gallons of new water for his sprawling district. On average, the Colorado River Municipal Water District provides 65 million gallons of water every day. But if drought conditions continue into next year, that water supply will have to be cut down to about 45 million gallons a day. http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/08/10/texas.desperate.to.drink/index.html?iref=allsearch
Well, I'm not sure what your point is. Are you saying Governor Perry is to blame for the doubt that is plaguing Texas? Are you saying he has a weather control device in his office and he is deliberately keeping the rain turned off? Please explain yourself, because I'm incredibly confused.
That's an odd thing to say. Do you want to limit the population? How, by forced abortions, sterilization, what? Nature recycles (*)(*)(*)(*) all the time and returns it as drinking water. As for the drought that is a natural occurrence also. But you might not know that if we just listen to the libs who are convinced that every weather event is caused by man-made global warming.
Yes, we should not be paying for teenagers and illegal immigrants to have children. Abstinence only stupidity has actually raised teen pregnancy in Texas, and we desperately need to put a minimum age on prenancy medicaid.
Then don't. It's bleeding heart libs who insist on that. If you want to break ranks and cut them off I'm right there with you.
So not wanting to pay for teenagers to have kids makes you a genocidal racist? What the hell does that make republicans who don't want to pay for anything?
I am also shocked that people get vetted when they decide they want to be President of the United States.
Of course not. All that stuff about Jeremiah Wright and his birth certificate and Bill Ayers was about what exactly?
Not the conspiracy theories, no, but it was covered. I don't expect the "mainstream media" to cover every half-baked theory.
OMFG... Wastewater reclamation is a liberal brainchild, first of all. Wastewater reclamation is one of the FEW (*)(*)(*)(*)ing things I give you jackasses credit for secondly. Wastewater reclamation can save millions all over the world... and I mean lives, not dollars. I spent several years architecting systems which turned wastewater into useful product. Yes... a (*)(*)(*)(*) into gold guy. I changed the landscape of deserts into fields using some Israeli tubing which is pretty much magic.
This is not news...reclaiming & treating wastewater is very common and has been done for decades. I used to live in a town that did (and AFAIK still does) it. Non-story.
Hey genius, west Texas is a (*)(*)(*)(*)ing desert and it's drought prone. Thanks for your moronic little rant. Good stuff.
