Fighting for scraps

Are we finally reaching the limits of human development in the deserts of the West?

With the Colorado River Basin already over-allocated, groundwater isn't much of a solution either. In many parts of the country, we've withdrawn so much that we've actually lowered the water table. Wells that once seemed inexhaustible are now churning up sand, and depletion has far exceeded the recharge rate. In fact, we're actually further limiting recharge by diverting our streams to man-made infrastructures instead of allowing water to trickle back under the ground.

Consequently, each water project seems more doomed. It's hard to sell the benefits of finding a little more water, when it has become increasingly clear that in the long run we need a miracle. Nevada's proposal for mine an aquifer along the Utah border has many residents worried, at least the ones who have thought a few years down the line.

Photo credit: http://ow.ly/mfbo9

Tom Wharton says it well in his editorial in the Salt Lake Tribute this week:

"When are developers and political leaders going to wise up to the fact that perhaps desert cities such as Phoenix, St. George, Las Vegas and, yes, even Salt Lake City may have to eventually limit growth and new home building because there simply isn’t enough water to sustain them? We see that now in Little Cottonwood Canyon where Alta and Salt Lake City are limiting development by not allowing any more water hookups."

Wharton admits his opposition is selfish, as he (and his asthmatic lungs) would prefer not to see the region turn into a Dust Bowl, as it would without its aquifers. But isn't that the point? Conservation will only gain enough momentum when people turn to it out of self-interest. It's about more than aesthetics - when the West Desert can no longer support a growing population without a significant fall in the quality of life, we will know we should have prioritized conservation long ago.