Steven Solomon presented a comprehensive history of the impact of favorable or unfavorable hydrologic conditions on civilizations and their successes or failures to meet water challenges. In the tradition of Arnold Toynbee, who espoused that environmental forces shaped human history, the author traced man's relationship to water. Solomon also cited the work of Karl A. Wittfogel, who correlated "centralized authoritarian states and specialized, mass irrigation systems" (p. 24).
Solomon attributed five principles or themes in his account to major water concerns-- "domestically for drinking, cooking, and sanitation; (2) economic production for agriculture, industry, and mining; (3) power generation, such as through waterwheel, steam, hydroelectricity, and as coolant in thermal power plants; (4) for transportation and strategic advantage, militarily, commercially, and administratively; and of growing prominence today, environmentally to sustain vital ecosystems against natural and man-made depletions and degradations." (pp. 16-17)
The author divided the book into four parts: Water in ancient history, water and the ascendancy of the West, water and the making of the modern industrial society, and the age of scarcity. The last part consisted of four chapters, Water the New Oil, Thicker than blood: The water famished Middle-East, From Haves to Have-Not: Mounting water distress in Asia's Rising Giants, and Opportunity from Scarcity: The new politics of water in the industrial democracies.
Current realities, such as deteriorating water infrastructure, the disparity between the water Haves and Have Nots, and the increase of fresh water consumption (two times greater than the growth of population), have changed the thinking on the classic water construct. Solomon posited, "from the traditional paradigm based on centralized, mass-scale infrastructure that extracted, treated, and delivered ever greater, absolute supplies from mature to a new efficiency paradigm built upon more decentralized, scaled-to-task, and environmentally harmonious solutions that make more productive use of existing supplies" (p. 369).
Showing posts with label water infrastructure. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water infrastructure. Show all posts
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sewers at Capacity, Waste Poisons Waterways . New York Times, Monday November 23, 2009
In a series called Toxic Waters: Systems on the Brink, the New York Times reported on the incapacity of sewer systems in Brooklyn to absorb falling precipitation. On one day, a heavy rainfall "caused a rising tide throughout Brooklyn's sewers, and untreated feces and industrial waste started spilling from emergency relief valves into the Upper New York Bay and Gowanus Canal" (p. 1). According to one engineer, similar occurrences happen with rains over 20 minutes. The Clean Water Act of 1972, written to ensure renovation and replacement of deteriorating water and waste water systems, has failed to prevent contamination of the nation's water systems.
According to the article, "in the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation's 25,000 sewage systems--including those in major cities--have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lake and elsewhere, according to data from state environmental agencies and the Environmental protection Agency" (p. 1). Charles Duhigg, the author, claimed that only one-fifth of the violators get fined or a citation.
Duhigg attributed a number of factors to the overflows of sewer systems--neglect, the increase of impervious surfaces, and urban sprawl. As a consequence, Duhigg referenced academic research that claimed that approximately 20 million people "become ill from drinking water containing bacteria and other pathogens that are often spread by untreated waste" (p. A18). Vulnerable to these conditions are children that suffer from diarrhea, swimmers, and citizens with basements damaged by sewer backups.
New York City officials have estimated that as much as a $58 billion infusion would improve greatly but not completely the city's system, with an 80 percent increase in customer water and sewer bills. The E.P.A. has calculated the national bill as $400 billion.
According to the article, "in the last three years alone, more than 9,400 of the nation's 25,000 sewage systems--including those in major cities--have reported violating the law by dumping untreated or partly treated human waste, chemicals and other hazardous materials into rivers and lake and elsewhere, according to data from state environmental agencies and the Environmental protection Agency" (p. 1). Charles Duhigg, the author, claimed that only one-fifth of the violators get fined or a citation.
Duhigg attributed a number of factors to the overflows of sewer systems--neglect, the increase of impervious surfaces, and urban sprawl. As a consequence, Duhigg referenced academic research that claimed that approximately 20 million people "become ill from drinking water containing bacteria and other pathogens that are often spread by untreated waste" (p. A18). Vulnerable to these conditions are children that suffer from diarrhea, swimmers, and citizens with basements damaged by sewer backups.
New York City officials have estimated that as much as a $58 billion infusion would improve greatly but not completely the city's system, with an 80 percent increase in customer water and sewer bills. The E.P.A. has calculated the national bill as $400 billion.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Cooper, Michael: In aging water systems, bigger threats are seen
The National section of the Sunday New York Times featured an article on the state of the nation's water infrastructure. The article spotlighted the wooden water mains of Chelan, Washington, material used in water systems of Alaska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and elsewhere, according to the author. The Environmental Protection Agency's Aging Water Infrastructure Research program pegged the number of breaks per year at 240,000 in the United States. The age and state of these systems "offer a vivid reminder of the age and fragility of the nation's drinking-water systems" (p. 12).
The consequences of a decrepit water network include bursting pipes, main breaks, wasted drinking water in the millions of gallons, and flooded roads. The by-line of the article estimated the amount of money required to remedy and repair the problem, $334 billion--the amount estimated by the EPA for transmission and distribution systems. Because the federal stimulus bill specifically allocated money for such projects, the author cited it as a source of funds for these projects.
The prevalence of the problem prompted the American Water Works Association to cite the current period as "the dawn of the replacement era" (p. 12). Because cities with the oldest infrastructure, in some instances, have declining and poorer populations, the costs of repair
would necessitate "higher-than-average water-rate increases on the residents who remain" (p. 12), resulting in financial hardship.
Assessing the durability of water pipes, the author reiterated the finding of the American Water Works Association that "newer is not necessarily better" (p. 123). The older, cast iron pipes of the 1800s "have an average useful life of about 120 years. For cast-iron pipes installed in the 1920s, that drops to about 100 years. And pipes put in after World War II have an average life of only about 75 years" (p. 12). All will require repair in the immediate future.
Cooper, M. (April 19, 2009). The New York Times.
The consequences of a decrepit water network include bursting pipes, main breaks, wasted drinking water in the millions of gallons, and flooded roads. The by-line of the article estimated the amount of money required to remedy and repair the problem, $334 billion--the amount estimated by the EPA for transmission and distribution systems. Because the federal stimulus bill specifically allocated money for such projects, the author cited it as a source of funds for these projects.
The prevalence of the problem prompted the American Water Works Association to cite the current period as "the dawn of the replacement era" (p. 12). Because cities with the oldest infrastructure, in some instances, have declining and poorer populations, the costs of repair
would necessitate "higher-than-average water-rate increases on the residents who remain" (p. 12), resulting in financial hardship.
Assessing the durability of water pipes, the author reiterated the finding of the American Water Works Association that "newer is not necessarily better" (p. 123). The older, cast iron pipes of the 1800s "have an average useful life of about 120 years. For cast-iron pipes installed in the 1920s, that drops to about 100 years. And pipes put in after World War II have an average life of only about 75 years" (p. 12). All will require repair in the immediate future.
Cooper, M. (April 19, 2009). The New York Times.
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