SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT

929 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Water scarcity small paragraph

The idea of water is often overlooked as being something that we need to try ad sustain. We have the whole ocean and there seems to constantly be a storm dumping rain over the country at all times. But do we really have enough water to support all our needs including the irrigation for our crops and the water that we need to consume to stay healthy? Do the rivers and streams hold a quality of clean and healthy water? The project that I am about to discuss was set into play in order to try and tackle these questions as well as many other concerns such as flood protection, wildlife and recreation uses, and actively getting the people aware and supportive of change. This project is known as modernizing water management and building a national sustainable rivers program. The nature conservancy teams up with the Army Corps of Engineers in trying to find sustainable solutions to river health. Throughout the 20th century the United States built thousands of Dams and several other types of water projects to try and meet the growing need that was present from water, food, flood protection, hydropower and navigation. Of all the dams that were built some 40-80 years ago there is very few of them that have been fully reviewed to see if they meet the current needs. They have not been inspected to prepare for future circumstances or to observe any new updates that they may be in need of. With the idea of this sustainable project we can now attempt to modernize the operations and to improve the social, economic and environmental benefits that they can provide for us now as well as for the future generations that are still to come. The idea is to improve our current dams and try to build a better system to manage the waterways through our countr...

... middle of paper ...

...r wildlife and generates revenue for state as well. There are 472 reservoirs in the U.S that contains 32-48 trillion gallons of flood contained water, which is enough to meet the needs of 900 million people. There are 116 of the 472 reservoirs that generate hydropower, with improved technology and advancements that this project projects there could be a significant increase in electricity production with little investments in new infrastructure. Local people living around these improved waterways also see enhanced recreational activity and improved health and productivity of tens of thousands of river miles across the whole country. This project if continued with the passion it has seen so far can greatly help revitalize our water infrastructure and provide substantial economic, social and environmental returns today and well into the future of the United States.

Show More
Related

  • Compare And Contrast Hoover Glen Canyon And The 3 Gorges

    767 Words  | 2 Pages

    Silenced Rivers: The Ecology and Politics of Large Dams author Patrick McCully (2001) reports that dams store water for river fluctuations as well as for energy and water demands (p. 11).

    Read More

  • It's Time to Drain Lake Powell

    863 Words  | 2 Pages

    The negative aspects of Glen Canyon Dam greatly exceed the positive aspects. The dam’s hydroelectric power supply is only three percent of the total power used by the six states that are served by the facility. There is a surplus of power on the Colorado Plateau and with more and more power-plants being created in the western hemisphere, Glen Canyon Dam’s power is not needed (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss). Although the ‘lake’ contains twenty seven million acre feet of water, one and a half million acre feet of water are lost yearly due to evaporation and seepage into the sandstone banks surrounding the ‘lake’ (Living Rivers: What about the water supply?). The loss of that much “water represents millions, even billions of dollars” (Farmer 183). If the government were to employ more water efficient irrigation practices, as much as five million acre feet of water per year could be saved.

    Read More

  • Sustainable Development

    2233 Words  | 5 Pages

    The following case study critiques Upton’s vision to establish a sustainable community through implementing comprehensive sustainable strategy. The urban periphery development is thought to demonstrate superior execution of sustainable principles in development (Jackson 2007). As a parallel, the report focuses on the development of Upton’s design code and demonstrates how large -scale mix-use developments can incorporate sustainable practice and principles of urban growth.

    Read More

  • Developing Countries and Clean Water

    2664 Words  | 6 Pages

    Introduction on Water It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet.

    Read More

  • Essay On Colorado River

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Colorado River is on a path that will take it to its end. The river is running out of water and cannot keep up with the high demand. New technology and growing industries require more water and more power. Organizations are attempting to solve the problem through public policy but the task may prove too large. Humans have changed the coarse of nature and it is up to us to come together and fight for change.

    Read More

  • The Hoover Dam

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    The use of turbines from dams to provide power was a brilliant idea until water levels started running lower than normal. The water waste from humanity is directly contributing to portions of it, aside from drought conditions affected by pollution, widespread fires battled, and more adds to the depletion thereof. When humanity is relying on power provided from dams to handle the demand, they are essentially relying on the assumption that water levels will always be there to provide it. The Hoover Dam provides power to the southwestern portion of the USA that has a large number of people.

    Read More

  • The Emerald Mile By Kevin Fedarko Summary

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    The river, despite many efforts, found new channels to travel to every time the engineers thought they were getting close. Kevin Fedarko describes how difficult it was for the engineers to control the river, “After an all-out campaign that had cost in excess of $3 million, the breach was finally plugged and the Colorado was forced to resume its course through the delta to the Sea of Cortes” (p. 59). He not only mentions the work done by the men, but also the expenses that went into trying to harness the power of the river for resources. The research that goes towards building and designing dams has improved tenfold over the past 50 years. In an essay written by a student attending Harvard University, the student explained the great effect the dam has had on the surrounding communities, “It was felt that a dam that could control the river would also provide hydroelectric power, eventually rendering the dam self-financing. The growth of Las Vegas and Southern California as major metropolitan centers also depended, to a large extent, on the availability of water and power… the dam possessed an epic quality that stimulated the national imagination. It was apparent that the meaning of the dam itself was beyond even that of a structure that equaled the vast landscape it inhabited. The dam, and the people who built it began controlling nature in a new and powerful way” (par. 3). The author explains how years of advancing dam technology have given the nation a “stimulated imagination” and that has brought forth many of the world’s newest technological advancements. The dam has brought many people ideas and inventions to build and grow on. Dams are the gateway for life-changing tools for harnessing the power that we can get from renewable resources like water and wind that then eliminate harmful chemicals and debris for

    Read More

  • Water in New Jersey

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    Water resources tend to be taken for granted in New Jersey and why shouldn't they? Rainfall and runoff from snowfall are plentiful, averaging over forty inches per year. The state is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Delaware River on the other, with reservoirs containing billions of gallons of water, and large underground aquifers in between. It's hard to imagine a shortage of this abundant resource. Under normal conditions, this would be the case, but under drought conditions, as has been experienced throughout the winter of 2001 - 2002, the residents of New Jersey are forced to confront the stark reality of the situation that we may be entering into a severe water supply crisis. Mandatory water conservation and stiff penalties for noncompliance may do what preservation and antidevelopment advocates have been trying to do for decades in the state of Ne...

    Read More

  • Sustainability

    1793 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sustainability is one of the most controversial topics throughout the history, and as our society develop, we realize that being able to be sustainable is essential to survival of our race. The book Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Sustainability is a collection of articles on different side of various issues related to sustainability. In the book, Issue 8 discusses the ability of technology to deliver sustainability, and issue 16 and 17 discusses the sustainability of food and energy. While issue 16 and 17 are well-presented, the arguments in issue 8 are not very strong.

    Read More

  • Environmental Sustainability Case Study

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    Data and statistics that will likely be collected and what exhibits or tables will be produced from this data

    Read More

  • Sustainability

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sustainability is an issue that everyone should be concerned about. If the planet Earth is going to exist, as we know it, everyone should wake up and do their part to help achieve a greater level of sustainability. In my English 101 class we learned about the issue of sustainability. Many different topics were discussed and researched throughout the course of the semester. Overall, I think that the sustainability project has been a learning and enlightening experience for everyone in this class. Many more things can be done next semester, since the groundwork has been laid to continue this project for time to come.

    Read More

  • Sustainable Design

    2494 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sustainable design seeks to reduce negative impacts on the environment, the health and comfort of building occupants, thereby improving building performance. The basic objects of sustainability are to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, minimal waste, and create healthy, productive environments (“Sustainable Design”). Focusing primarily on the sustainable design principles, there are five, including: low-impact materials, energy efficiency, quality and durability, design for reuse and recycling, and renewability. As sustainability appears to become the necessary trend in architecture, the question concerning the cost versus outcome of “going green” really an investment or a waste of time and money comes to mind. With our research provided below, we believe the expenses may truly be with the investment in the end.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On Sustainability

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Sustainability simply defined to me as balancing act between the development of sustainability is necessary for both planet Earth and humans to survive. This is reinforced in the World Commission on Environment and Development report (1987) that sustainable development must meet the needs of the present without compromising the well-being of future generations”. The Earth Charter Organization widened the idea of sustainability to respect for a culture of peace, universal human rights, nature, and economic justice (What is sustainability?, n.d.).

    Read More

  • The Water Crisis and Solutions

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    Freshwater is quite scarce, but it is even scarcer than one might think: about seventy percent of all freshwater is frozen in the icecaps of Antarctica and Greenland and is unavailable to humans. Most of the remainder is present as soil moisture or lies in deep underground aquifers as groundwater. It is not economically feasible to extract this waster for use as drinking water. This leaves less than one percent of the world’s fresh water that is available to humans. It includes the water found in lakes, reservoirs, groundwater that is shallow enough to be tapped at an affordable cost. These freshwater sources are the only sources that are frequently replenished by rain and snowfall, and therefore are renewable. At the current rates of consumption, however, this supply of fresh water will not last. Pollution and contamination of freshwater sources exacerbate the problem, further reducing the amount of freshwater available for human consumption. Something must be done if humans want to even survive in the near future: the lack of clean drinking water is already the number one cause of disease in the world today. The first step is worldwide awareness of the water crisis: governments and the citizens they govern worldwide need to know about this problem and be actively involved in solving this problem.

    Read More

  • Sustainability And Environmental Sustainability

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Environmental sustainability is making decisions and taking actions in the interest of protecting the natural world, preserving the capability of the environment to support human life and ensuring that humans use the environment in a way that does not harm the environment. It also questions how economic development affects our environment vice versa.

    Read More

More about SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT

Open Document