Zachary Marcum

SOC 360
11/11/14

Final Solutions Paper

SOC 360
University of Kentucky

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14

Executive Summary
For my solutions paper proposal I decided to cover the topic of water
conservation and reuse; I chose these topics because water is a necessary resource
that is depleting and one of the worlds most prominent issues. My research
concluded that Americans use a significant amount of water and that this overuse is
leading to an economic collapse and could potentially lead to a collapse of our
Earths ecosystems. For this project I am proposing a policy at the state legislative
level that controls the usage of water in the United States and recycles the water
that we dispose of.

Introduction
Water is the key to life on Earth. All living organisms need it to survive and
prosper in this world. Water has been naturally recycled on the planet for millions
and millions of years, until the human population grew to astronomical levels. As
human population grew, more water was needed to satisfy the thirst of the world
through direct water consumption and to feed the earth by watering large amounts
of crops. Since the population continues to grow, more and more water is used up in
a fashion that cannot be reused. This has created a huge global issue that seems to
be ignored. With my extensive research, I will propose a new water conservation
policy that will slow down the depletion of water and benefit the ecosystem at the
National Level.

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14

Research Results
The reason I have created this policy is because our nations water supply is
depleting at an enormous rate. Water withdraws in the United States escalated from
270 billion gallons to 425 billion gallons per day (Anderson, 1983, p.12). This
dramatic escalation can only be caused by the dramatic rise in national population.
Since modern medicine has created a world where people can live through disease
and can lead longer lives, there has been a higher demand for food and water. This
spike in population is unnatural so water in the world is going too fast to be recycled
properly, so the Earths water supply is deteriorating permanently.
If the world continues to consume at such a dramatic rate, organisms will
loose its necessary amount of water. This will lead to a total collapse in the worlds
ecosystem. The potential loss of water is much more dangerous than the loss of
fossil fuels because water is necessary for life. There is no more important resource
in the world than water. It is stated Humans can transition from the loss of oil or
coal, but no organism can find a substitution for water (Bell, 1998, pg. 17).
Although this is a dramatic scenario, after enough time of careless water
consumption will lead to this dreadful outcome.
In my research I discovered that water loss has already had some very
detrimental effects on the worlds ecosystem. In 2008, India experienced their driest
summer in recorded history (Postel, 2010, p. 4. This lack of water left the soil in

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14
awful condition and many farmers were unable to plant their crops. Also, in 2009,
millions were left starving in the horn of Africa because famine swept over the
nation. This was caused by a record setting drought (Postel, 2010, p. 4). As we see
areas with low rainfall losing even more water, we can only imagine what lies ahead
for regions with similar topography.
Throughout my research I have also discovered that humans use an obscene
amount of water in their everyday routine. It is estimated that he average American
uses roughly 100 gallons of water every day (Rogers, 1996, p.21). This is a result of
Americans taking water for granted. People leave the sink on or take long showers
without thinking of the long-term consequences. This wasteful behavior is a result
of the lacking knowledge Americans have on the water use. This topic seems to go
ignored even though households are responsible for 70% of national water use
(Rogers, 1996, p.21). As one can see, the change starts with the common man. The
reduction of water usage can be changed drastically by a slight change in ones daily
routine.
One of the more immediate issues with water depletion is on an economic
level. To understand water form an economic perspective, we first must take a look
at the energy crisis. An incorrect pricing on the federal level caused the economic
energy crisis in the 1970s. The government created a price for gasoline that was too
low for production cost, causing shortages in supply and increased demand. The
same concept is true with water prices. Since water is so cheap and it is used at a
high rate, we are approaching an economic disaster and a spike in the price of water
(Greenley, D., & Walsh, R. , 1982, . 26-28). Urbanization is a large contribution to

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14
this truth. When people move to cities in large populations, there reaches a point
where the city cant fund these expensive services that provide the civilians with
large amounts of water, so the city will sometimes com up short; leading to an urban
drought (Bell, M. 1998, p. 66). These are outcomes that Americans need to take
action to avoid.
I also discovered that water is also directly related to our form of energy. For
many states in the country (including Kentucky), fossil fuels like coal are burned to
create energy for almost all residents. The process of this form of energy involves
boiling water that steams and turns a turbine to create electricity this process can
use up to 11 gallons of water per unit of energy (Sakthivadivel, 2001). This wouldnt
be a huge issue of the water that was being released into the air was polluted. This
causes the formation of acid rain and renders that water useless to humans.
The issue of water depletion is not a distant problem for the United States.
Regions in the United States have already experienced the effects of high water
usage. A good example of this issue can be found in California. Drought is such an
issue that the governor has declared a state of emergency (www.ca.gov). This has
been going on since January of this year and the state is facing one of the worst
droughts in the states history. This is a real example of the issues of drought in the
world and specifically America. Water depletion is the most serious issue in the
world today and a solution needs to be found quickly or we will run into even more
severe problems in the future.

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14

Conclusion
My research clearly shows that there needs to be an immediate change in the
use of water for the United States. I propose a 3-part plan that can create a better,
more conservative water policy for the entire country. The first part of my policy
would be a limitation of domestic water usage. In times of drought in our country,
some states will encourage their residents to conserve water by doing small things
like taking shorter showers or not leaving their sinks on. I am proposing a similar
policy. I would like to implement a law with a set amount of gallons that one
household can use per month, depending on the size of the family. The average
American family of four uses 400 gallons of water per day (Rogers, 1999, p.117)
that, an absurd amount for any group of people. My goal would be to limit the use of
water to 1500 gallons per person every month (about the average rate). If this
were violated, people would be charged an extra fee on top of the regular utility bill.
This reduction is very possible without inconveniencing anyone in a major way.
The second part of my plan would be to reuse the water that is wasted in our
power plants. As described earlier, producing coal and natural gas uses a significant
amount of water and turns it into steam. If power plants could find a way to
recapture that steam, cool it back into a fully liquid state, and re-steam the water,
billions of gallons every year could be saved. Adding a large piping system from the
smoke stacks of the plant to a separate tank could allow the water to cool and be
reused. This would only be temporary of course. Although it is not covered in my
policy, I would like to see Americans work towards alternative and renewable

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14
energy sources. This policy would simply crate a deadline for power plants to create
this system, and punish those who do not.
The third part of my proposal would be to slightly raise the cost of water. I
know sounds like a simply absurd idea, but this is the best way to avoid an economic
crash. My research shows that when a good is underpriced and in high demand,
there can be a sudden spike in price and harm the common man. If we created a
steady rise in price, we could potentially avoid this terrible outcome. Water would
only rise in price by a few cents per gallon. This small change in price is worth
avoiding the potential spike.
In conclusion, the nation is in need of a change. Water is our most vital
resource and we are losing it at a rate that it cannot replenish. If our nation
continues to use such a large amount of water in our homes and to create energy, we
will eventually have a scarcity of water. We can adapt to the loss of fossil fuels, but
no one can adapt to the loss of water. My policy proposal is not a long-term solution;
I doubt we will find one for the next few decades. With the conservation and reuse
act I only hope to slow down the depletion of water until the technology is created.
The change starts with us at home, if we want to see change, we have to be willing to
make a change.

Zachary Marcum
SOC 360
11/11/14

Sources:
1. Postel, S. (2010). Water; Adapting to a New Normal. In Water: Adapting to a New
Normal. Santa Rosa, CA: Healdsburrg.
2. Bell, M. (1998). Environmental Problems and Society; Threats to Land and Water.
In An invitation to environmental sociology (3rd ed., pp. 15-20). Thousand Oaks: Pine
Forge Press.
3. Sakthivadivel, R. (2001). Water Balance Studies and Hydrological Modelling.
In Integrated water resources management. Wallingford: International Association of
Hydrological Sciences.
4. Infanger, C. (1983). Roles and Responsibilities of Governments in Water Resource
Management. In Emerging Issues in Water Management and Policy (pp. 37-43).
Lexington, Kentucky: Farm Foundation and the Southern Rural Development Center.
5. Greenley, D., & Walsh, R. (1982). Preservation Benefits From Improved Water
Quality. In Economic benefits of improved water quality: Public perceptions of option
and preservation values (3rd ed., pp. 24-30). Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
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7. Rogers, P. (1993). America's water federal roles and responsibilities. Cambridge,
Mass.: MIT Press.
8. Anderson, T. (1983). The Coming Water Crisis. In Water crisis: Ending the policy
drought (pp. 1-23). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
9. Top Story: Urban Water Suppliers Show Progress In August Water Conservation

Report. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014.