Introduction
Today, the city of Columbus received 85% of its freshwater supply from three reservoirs on the Scioto River, the Olentangy River, and Big Walnut Creek. The additional15% of the supply comes from four large Ranney Collector Wells located in Southern Franklin County. While this supply is sufficient for now, Columbus is the 25th fastest-growing metro in the nation with an overage population increase of 0.9% each year. This means that the finite water sources being used right now are not sustainable for the future.
Adaptations
One solution to the water shortage issue would be to follow the lead of Orange County, California, and begin to implement purification of urban wastewater. This process involves sending the water through several mechanical, chemical, and photoelectric purification methods to create potable water.
In class, we discussed this issue as we watched a video that showed a walk-through of the Orange County plant. One of the technicians made a great point that there is no longer any new water on our planet. Each source, to some degree, is recycled and needed to undergo purification methods. Most people don’t think of this when collecting from rivers and wells, but there is animal waste, dirt and debris, and non-point pollution that must be cleared out. The current methods we have are not sustainable for our environment nor our population. We must find adaptable ways to continue our water usage, and the first thing to adapt is our mindset.
Additional Sources
- https://orangetwp.org/DocumentCenter/View/81/LUP_chapter_9_utilities?bidId=
- https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2020/03/27/census-columbus-metro-gained-50-new-people-a-day.html#:~:text=Columbus%20remains%20the%2032nd%2Dlargest,%2C%20with%200.9%25%20population%20growth.
