Why is it a good idea to save water?

[ghoti_mhic_uait]

I've seen lots of people saying "Save water, it's good for the environment!" over the years. I've looked and looked and mostly ignored them (although was happy when the dropped 'turn the tap off when you're washing your hands - really not compatible with 'shower, not bath').

Water is a renewable resource, right? It goes through the sewer system, into the rivers or sea, evaporates and returns as rain. Or it goes through the sewer system and returns to our taps.

My region hasn't had a hosepipe ban since the 70s because of our good reserviors.

So why is it a good idea to save water? I've never actually managed to find an explanation, including now through google.

Comments

[mooism.livejournal.com]

Rainfall is a renewable resource, but not inexhaustable. There’s only a certain amount of water falls from the sky every year (varying from year to year, just to add excitement). In some places (e.g. Cambridge) the water available is easily more than enough. In others (e.g. London) there isn’t enough water to satisfy everyone’s wants, thus hosepipe bans.

Some places mine their water (aquifers) — this source of water is *not* renewable.

Even if you have enough water, it takes energy to purify it for human consumption. Use less water → use less energy → cause less pollution.

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Cambridge is famously about the driest place in England, 56cm of rain a year on average; on the other hand, East Anglia isn't all that heavily populated.

[tamsinj.livejournal.com]

i believe east anglia is classified as "arid". there's certainly not very much rainfall

[mooism.livejournal.com]

I was taking on trust Kirsten’s claim that Cambridge hasn’t had a hosepipe ban since the 70s.

She’s not moved somewhere wetter while I wasn’t paying attention, has she?

[djm4]

The rain around Cambridge falls in plentiful supply on chalk, which soaks it up. That's why it hasn't had a hosepipe ban - it hangs on well to what little water it gets.