Record Snow pack, floods next?

[Kevin B.]

I’m surprised there hasn’t been any cracking down on new car washes. Seems like there’s a new quick quack, wiggy wash, or similar opening up every other week in the Utah valley lately.

I get that there is a crap ton of people here and cars, but when there’s a desperation of saving water, why isn’t that limited at all?

I’m genuinely curious if there’s a reason behind it, or if I’m just ignorant?

My understanding is that most of these new car washes are treating and recycling their water.

The number of those that are going up is surprising though. I have to think that somebody wrote "car washes are a good investment" in some financial paper and now there's all sorts of venture funding for car wash chains, which will shortly make them not a good investment. If it hasn't happened already.

 

[jeeper]

Same reason every free square inch of the Wasatch Front has a high density housing complex going up on it: developers run the state and all they care about is short term gain.

High density housing uses LESS water than the same space used as farm land. Many developments end up giving water share to the state as part of the development.

 

[Kevin B.]

I have asked this question in lots of settings and I never get an answer. What exactly happens to the water we use on the Wasatch Front? If I spray water on my grass what happens to it? My assumption is, it cools the immediate area, some of it soaks in and eventually ends up in underground aquifers, a good portion of it evaporates. It seems that people assume the portion that evaporates leaves the earth's atmosphere and is gone for good. I would assume it goes up into the lower atmosphere and returns as rain on the mountains to the east, where it then runs back down to the SL and UT valleys.
I may be 100% incorrect and my memory of earth science from Jr. High could be completely wrong. However no one has yet countered my theory and explained to me why watering my lawn or washing my car is so bad for the water situation in our specific geographic region. They just know it's awful and that we need to stop doing it because DRAUGHT!

I'm not a hydrologist by a long shot, have just always been fascinated by water infrastructure (dams in particular).

Your hypothesis is technically correct. I'd add is that all the water that evaporates into the atmosphere doesn't make it back into our water cycle. Depending on conditions, that water could end up on the other side of the planet. And, plants and animals consume water, but they don't expel 100% of that they consume. Also, soil retains water, if it didn't we'd all be living the the Sahara. So if you put a gallon of water on your lawn, maybe 20% of that makes it back into an aquafer (totally made up numbers). Multiply this by millions of people watering their lawns and washing their cars and you're "losing" a lot of water out of the system that is designed to provide for the population. So thats why in a region like ours that has unpredictable at best rain and snow to refill our storage capacity, it's best to limit your usage where you can. I water my lawn and wash my car, I just try to use as little water as I can get away with to do it.

And yes, yes, the bulk of water used in Utah is for agriculture and they need to change utilization techniques as well.

And besides the inherent losses in the system ending up elsewhere, the water that does make it back into OUR water cycle doesn't do it right away. It takes time to be available again. And meanwhile we have more people and more industry every month sucking up more of what is available. We're right on the cusp of there not being enough water available in that cycle at any one time.

This winter has helped. It bought us some time. But this ain't over.

 

[glockman]

And besides the inherent losses in the system ending up elsewhere, the water that does make it back into OUR water cycle doesn't do it right away. It takes time to be available again. And meanwhile we have more people and more industry every month sucking up more of what is available. We're right on the cusp of there not being enough water available in that cycle at any one time.

This winter has helped. It bought us some time. But this ain't over.

My wager (you can call me out next year if I'm wrong), we are now starting a "wet" cycle and will have several years of above average snow. This happened back in the early 80s, then again in the late 90's and we had a spell in the mid teens. Maybe I'm just being optimistic.

 

[mbryson]

My wager (you can call me out next year if I'm wrong), we are now starting a "wet" cycle and will have several years of above average snow. This happened back in the early 80s, then again in the late 90's and we had a spell in the mid teens. Maybe I'm just being optimistic.

I'm curious if this pans out and have had similar/same thoughts

 

[jeeper]

Global Warming? No, Natural, Predictable Climate Change

Let’s enjoy basking in warmth while it lasts.

www.forbes.com

 

[Hickey]

My understanding is that most of these new car washes are treating and recycling their water.

The number of those that are going up is surprising though. I have to think that somebody wrote "car washes are a good investment" in some financial paper and now there's all sorts of venture funding for car wash chains, which will shortly make them not a good investment. If it hasn't happened already.

We’ve been recycling the water in our truck wash at work for at least 18 years. There are big grease traps that need to be pumped out a few times a year. We wash an astonishing number of tractor trailers every year. We have the same systems in our California DC’s and they meet the strict guidelines in Californias laws.

 

[Spork]

High density housing uses LESS water than the same space used as farm land. Many developments end up giving water share to the state as part of the development.

My question has been is all water created equal? A development may use less water but culinary water isn't the same thing that's going on the crops. At some point the water is either going to end up on a field or out in the GSL. If you want to drink the water going out on dad's alfalfa I guess you could but I'd at least boil it first.

 

[Kevin B.]

My question has been is all water created equal? A development may use less water but culinary water isn't the same thing that's going on the crops. At some point the water is either going to end up on a field or out in the GSL. If you want to drink the water going out on dad's alfalfa I guess you could but I'd at least boil it first.

I think it is. At least in this context. We're not talking about running out of the ability to treat water for consumption, we're talking about the potential to flat run out of water.

I don't know the answer to the farming thing. One one hand it seems kind of silly to farm in the desert while we've got reservoirs running dry and small towns are literally trucking in water trying to scrape by. On the other hand, I'm a big fan of locally raised food, and it makes me a bit of a hypocrite to say "OMG FARMERS ARE USING ALL OUR WATER" and then expect the same low prices at the grocery store. So I dunno.

I'll prolly just stick to bitching about golf courses. That seems safe.

 

[Cody]

If you guys all ran your kitchen faucet 24 hours a day, I still bet I send more water down the drain then you.

Beer is the problem... And the solution.

 

[Tonkaman]

I’ll be honest, I waste thousands of gallons of water every week while at work. I flush water through fire hydrants, fire pumps, and fire sprinkler pipes every day. Most people are unaware that all that water comes from the same water mains as your drinking water.

I had to drain a 1,000,000 gallon water tank last year, it took almost 30 days for it to empty all the way out!

 

[nnnnnate]

Where are you working right now Derek? I'm going to show up with signs protesting you and your wasteful ways.

 

[Stephen]

High density housing uses LESS water than the same space used as farm land. Many developments end up giving water share to the state as part of the development.

But MORE than medium or low density housing.

The biggest strain on the water infrastructure in the state is the huge influx of people we are seeing. So while a five story condo complex might not have any lawns to worry about watering, it uses significantly more water than a five house subdivision would have simply due to the quantity of people being stuffed into the space.

 

[Tonkaman]

Where are you working right now Derek? I'm going to show up with signs protesting you and your wasteful ways.

Sometimes we shoot water off the rooftops of the high rises downtown. I’ll be sure to tell you exactly where to stand 😉

I did a diesel fire pump yesterday pushing 3500 gallons a minute and building 310 PSI. That’s an impressive thing to see!

 

[Hickey]

Sometimes we shoot water off the rooftops of the high rises downtown. I’ll be sure to tell you exactly where to stand 😉

I did a diesel fire pump yesterday pushing 3500 gallons a minute and building 310 PSI. That’s an impressive thing to see!

That’s what it felt like when peeing off of a roof as a young man.

 

[mbryson]

That’s what it felt like when peeing off of a roof as a young man.

After 10-12 brews in the past 60-90 minutes


Also storing a 44oz Super Big Gulp from Smithfield to Rice (now Rice- Eccles) without stopping (speed limit was 55 mph back then) I couldn't walk when we got to the parking lot. Had to open a couple doors on the van to shield me relieving myself in the parking lot. That would have been my junior year when I was injured and not playing foosball, so Sept-Oct 1987?

 

[glockman]

I don't know the answer to the farming thing. One one hand it seems kind of silly to farm in the desert while we've got reservoirs running dry and small towns are literally trucking in water trying to scrape by.

I didn't know there were towns trucking in water. I know Lynndal had a well pump issue last year but that was mechanical.
I'd bet trucking food from more suitable farming climates is a huge net loss, kinda like driving a Tesla to save the planet.

 

[Kevin B.]

I didn't know there were towns trucking in water. I know Lynndal had a well pump issue last year but that was mechanical.
I'd bet trucking food from more suitable farming climates is a huge net loss, kinda like driving a Tesla to save the planet.

Echo for sure, I think there was another.

 

[jeeper]

But MORE than medium or low density housing.

That would be an interesting set of data to find. Because high density units typically don't have yards. Low density homes for sure have large sections of lawn to water. What uses more water, lawn watering or people showering?

 

[Stephen]

That would be an interesting set of data to find. Because high density units typically don't have yards. Low density homes for sure have large sections of lawn to water. What uses more water, lawn watering or people showering?

I've seen data sets on this, I'll find them again. But unit for unit, sure. A two bedroom condo uses less water than a five bedroom single family home. But when you have six condos on the same footprint as the single family home, you're using more resources with the condos.