California Coastal Communities Waste Water

Coastal communities throughout California flush away more than a billion gallons of fresh water every day by discharging wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, according to a report released yesterday by local nonprofit Heal the Ocean. Essentially a detailed survey of wastewater dumped into ocean waters along the entire coast of California, the report highlights concerns about untreated chemical contaminants and the need to move toward reclaimed wastewater. "Wastewater really is a waste of water," said Hillary Hauser, executive director of Heal the Ocean. "We're using drinking water in a really bad way." CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORY

Comments

[Bruce Hotchkiss]

Okay, I'll accept that coastal communities may waste water, but the largest waster of water has to be those areas that have been built in arid areas.

I get so tired of listening to the fight between the environmentalists and Central Valley farmers over water. The real culprit is the greater L.A. area, including the high desert (Lancaster/Palmdale). It is bad enough that the population growth is almost never-ending, but why does everyone have to have a green lawn?

There may actually be enough water for both the wildlife and farms in this state if, and it is a huge if, we all start living sensibly.

I'm not one who is going to collect gray water to flush my toilet, but on the other hand I see no need for a succulent, green landscape. When and if I ever get around to landscaping my property, I hope to do it with native (whatever that means), drought-resistant plants.