Los Angeles, in an arid landscape, should never have become the unsustainable megalopolis it is. The Ogallala Aquifer, the water source for the breadbasket of our nation, is one-third gone. Unless replenished at the same rate as it is being withdrawn, it will continue to be depleted; we may be only decades away from total groundwater depletion there. The groundwater below Tucson used to lie 492 feet below the surface; now it’s 1476 feet and falling. In India, 40 children per hour younger than five years old die from contaminated water.

A large percentage of the world is daily without clean drinking water. And water conservation here won’t help others far away. All water problems are local or regional (unlike CO2 pollution).

Regionally, we live in an area of water scarcity, but mostly, we live as if we are unaware of that. As demands grow we’ll likely have to re-prioritize what we need water for. Food and water, for sure. Maybe not golf courses nor water-thirsty lawns nor water-intensive and polluting extraction of oil shale.

Consider the water footprint of one pair of jeans: 2,000 gallons of water is required for growing the cotton, manufacturing, shipping, etc. One T-shirt takes 650 gallons. Two pounds of paper uses 793 gallons. One smartphone uses 240 gallons. One cup of coffee requires 37 gallons. One liter of wine takes 203 gallons. My sparkly T-shirt that says “Save water, drink wine,” is a joke. Direct use is around 100 gallons/day/person for showers, washing, toileting, cooking and drinking. Choices. Tough choices. Read Colorado’s Water Plan (www.colorado.gov/cowaterplan); get involved. “Reduce, reuse, recycle” has never been more essential.

Marilyn McCord

Vallecito