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Bryana Herrera
A. Ludwig
English 101
15 May 2015
Water Depletion
We use many natural resources each and everyday like air, fossil fuels and even water
but we do not think about how much we are actually wasting. A natural resource is a resource
that we receive from the planet and reap in the benefits of having them.Something so simple as
water can be abused which causes us to have less of that natural resource. Water ground
depletion is when we pump water out of the ground at a very fast rate therefore causing it to
lower our water resource, change the ecosystem and also increasing our chances of
contaminating saltwater with fresh water. We as a country must reduce the use of water ground
depletion by reusing and recycling the water the we already have. This problem is important
because we all need water and not only for drinking but for many other things as well as
agriculture, plumbing and cleaning; It is important to reuse, recycle and save this resource
because there is no substitute for it and therefore we will end up drying up the entire planet of it
affecting everyone in this process. Think of it like a bank account the more you deplete from it
the less you will have, however; the more you save and conserve it the more it will grow and
replenish it. Seems easy enough.
Many would argue that the United States have been in a drought for years and we will all
be okay but in reality our lakes and streams have been depleting at an alarming rate. By
draining the water from our lakes we are hurting ourselves in the process and not helping this

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cause. In National Geographic article If you think the Water Crisis Cant get Worse, wait until
the Aquifers Are Drained by Dennis Demmick he explains how Aquifers, which is the
underground layer of where the water is, get drained completely we can not just go a recharge
them and bring them back to life, he gives us and idea how much water we actually loose A new
satellite study from the University of California, Irvine and NASA indicates that the Colorado
River Basin lost 65 cubic kilometers (15.6 cubic miles) of water from 2004 to 2013 (Demmick).
It is insane that the amount of water that is lost are in miles, that is a lot of water ! Demmick
explains how Agriculture alone takes up to 60% of fresh water to water all of the crops.
(Demmick). If we continue this on we will not have sufficient amount of water for everyone on
this earth. We must find a way to contribute by recycling the water we can rather than depleting
more of our lakes and streams. By draining our aquifers we put ourselves at risk of never having
fresh water resource. Without them we would have to wait when it rains, and when you live in
California that may take awhile. Agriculture takes most of our water but how can we try to save
water there when we need it for our crops and animals? We simply cannot use the gray water
method , which is when you use the bathroom or dish water to water your plants, on our crops
that we eat. The Agriculture department can however build tanks for when it does rain we can fill
up those tanks to use them. According to Understanding California's Water agriculture gets
aware with wasting a lot of Californias water however they are never penalized like we are if we
use too much of it Agricultural irrigation, which accounts for most groundwater pumping in
California, rarely triggers either set of laws, and its impacts are rarely scrutinized

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(Understanding California water). It makes nonsense to have one department wasting gallons and
gallons of water if they try helping in other ways they can save water. like

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one way they can do is by the Agriculture department can however build tanks for when it does
rain we can fill up those tanks to use them. This can save three days worth of water that can be
used some where else. This is a way of recycling the water to good use and not let it go to waste.
So if the agriculture department can use this method of recycling maybe we can to. In fact DWP,
Department of Water and Power is offering resident house a water reservoir from the dirty water
that is wasted from the gutter. You can use that water for watering your plants at home or any
other way that you need it. Not only do they do that but if you qualify you can get your whole
lawn taken out and replaced with native California plants that do not need watering. (DWP). If
everyone in just California would do this can you imagine how much water would be saved and
help replenish our lakes and streams.
Having plumbing has become a necessary in our day to day lives. Such as using it for
showers, toilettes and washing items. The average person can use up to 80-100 gallons each day,
so therefore saving as much as we can counts. The Science for a Changing World gives us a chart
on how much the average person wastes on water in their daily tasks like brushing their teeth,
showering and bathing. They even give you tips on how to save water Turn the water off when
brushing (Science for a changing world). By everyone simply using these tips they can simply
save more water and have a not so outrageous water bill. Not only saving water can help the
planet and everyone but it can also save you money. Saving water is serious enough that you can
get a ticket if they see if you are using water recklessly. The Department of Water and Power
average out how much a person uses of water and if they see an influx of water usage you can be
fined. (DWP). Using water recklessly like refilling your whole swimming pool, leaving the
sprinklers on for an appropriate amount of time and even washing your front lawn. You can even

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report people in your neighbor hood if you see them using water recklessly! Saving water has
become very crucial especially in these past few years because of the alarming depletion rate we
have been going at. No one wants to be fined and owe the department more money than they
should, that is why many people do follow these rules. Wasting water can be considered a crime
and we should treat it as such because in the end we are hurting ourselves. It affects everyone
and it can keep on affecting everyone through each generation. Our children's children will have
to go through this but by then if we keep going at the same rate we are now they will already be
taking drastic measures like limiting everyone how much water they can use in one day.
No one wants to drink contaminated water, and by contaminated I mean having it mixed
with salt water or any other bacteria that can try to grow in the water. Many other items can
contaminate water that we do not think that can contaminate, in the Silver lake Reservoir they
found many golf balls and even a gold ring. Adding to the fact that the reservoir had a very old
and rusty pipe that ran under it which caused the federal regulations department to take notice
that this reservoir was not up to date and deemed it not safe for Los Angeles to get their drinking
water from. So The Department of water and power have an on going project that will save and
replace Silver reservoir they state Drinking water in Los Angeles is the cleanest it ever been.
But new Federal Regulations are requiring expensive changes to LAs Drinking water system
(DWP Headworks project). By DWP replacing the water reservoir it saves water in the long run
and it will help by not having contaminate drinking water. They Plan to replace the old pipe with
new top of the line steel pipe that will not contaminate the drinking water, and it will last many
generations. However all of this sounds like it will be a pretty penny, the Department of Water
and Power actually have a deadline that they have to meet to finish this project and if

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they do not they have to pay for going over that quota. The Silver Lake Reservoir holds about
400 million gallons of water which sounds like a lot of water but in reality it should be holding
double that. Not only do they plan to replace and make the reservoir safe to drink but they are
also going to fill the reservoir The reservoir will filled with non-potable water ( DWP).
Which means that the water is not suitable for human drinking consumption. What can we use
this non potable water for if not for drinking? We can use it for our plumbing around the house
like for our toilettes, washing machines and even our gardens we have. We can still find many
uses for non potable water, because in reality we use water for many other things not only for
drinking.
We are not the only ones that depend on water on this planet but also our entire
ecosystem relies of H20. Many of the animals/ plants in our ecosystem do not go wasting water
on washing their cars or taking multiple baths in one day that is just ridiculous. They do however
use it to survive because they depend on this natural resource. Without water and entire
ecosystem can collapse which in the longer will be the cause of more extinct animals which can
harm us. Not many of us are aware that every day our lakes and streams are drying up, yes
everyday. Not once a month but everyday, we are not the only ones who depend on these lakes
and streams to have water, animals in that area relay on the water to drink from however many
are finding their local lakes and streams to be low. Not only are there animals but the vegetation
which in many cases are the animals homes are becoming scarce. According to Understanding
California's Water , the article about Ground water, Rivers Ecosystems and Conflicts many
people are unaware about how big the impact we are making when we pump water out of our
lakes and streams low levels of awareness that rivers and other ecosystems can be harmed by

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pumping, and little data about the precise nature of impacts. Other problems stem from legal
vagueness or agency attitudes (Understand California Water). Not only can pumping ground
water from the earth makes an impact but even not becoming aware of this problem can be a
problem all on its own. If all of us become aware of this problem it can make an impact on how
we view the world therefore changing our ways of wasting water. Understanding California
Water sates that they have a fundamental ways on how to state these problems The first lowhanging fruit approach is to ensure that agencies that currently consider groundwater pumping
projects consistently consider and deal with impacts on surface water rights and groundwaterdependent ecosystems (Understanding California Water). This means that companies should be
aware of their impact on not only how much water they are taking out but on the ecosystems that
are dependent on them. Whenever companies want to pump out ground water they should stop
and think first how is this not only going to affect us but other species as well.
If many people become aware of this water depletion many can take action and do their
part to help save our planet. I know that sounds very hippie of me to say but it will not be hippieish when we have no water and dry lakes and stream are staring right back at us. This should be
taken serious because it affects everyone and not solely one race or ethnicity. Maybe the rich will
be able to afford it if becomes scarce but even then what will happen when they truly completely
run out of it? We use water everyday and cannot escape using it but we can control on how much
we do use it at one time. Everyone can do their part and save a little each and every time they
brush their teeth or take showers. Just something to think about next time you are in the
bathroom taking twenty minute showers.

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Work Cited
"Eartheasy." Water Conservation: 25 Ways to Conserve Water in the Home and Yard. N.p., 12
May 2014. Web. 16 May 2016.
Demmick.If You Think the Water Crisis Can't Get Worse, Wait Until the Aquifers Are
Drained." National Geographic. Ed. . National Geographic Society, 21 Aug. 2014.
Web. 15 May 2016
."Understanding California's Groundwater | Water in the West." Groundwater, Rivers,
Ecosystems

and Conflicts. N.p., 31 July 2014. Web. 15 May 2016.

"Water Department Will Drain Silver Lake Reservoir This Summer." Los Angeles Times. Ed.
Hailey Branson-Potts. Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2015. Web. 16 May 2016
Tips How to Save Water." N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016
."Groundwater Depletion." , USGS Water Science. N.p., 2 May 2015. Web. 16 May
2016.