Water Water Everywhere: Why You Shouldn't Be a Greedy Bastard

On Top of the Masonry Dam
Not Sure Why the Ladder is There

Today we visited the Cedar River Watershed. The Cedar River provides two-thirds of the water supply to Seattle, and the boundaries of the watershed are closed to protect this vital water source. We were lucky enough to visit Masonry Dam with Anna Constance, who works at the education center.

A quick overview of the watershed: the Cedar River drains into Chester Morse Lake. Masonry Dam is located at the lake outlet, and penstocks divert 20% of the river's volume while the remaining 80% continues to flow downstream in the Cedar River. The Cedar River Watershed, which has provided water for the citizens of Seattle since 1901, is owned by the City of Seattle, who manages the 91,000 acres of the watershed. The City of Seattle is concerned not just with water quality, but also preserving biodiversity.

Looking Down the Spillway of Masonry Dam

Before we went on the tour, our lead professor, Dr. Heidi Gough, asked us to list reasons why we should conserve water in a water-rich nation. To people outside Seattle, this might seem like a silly question, particularly since the Midwest is currently experiencing the worst drought in 50 years. In the past decade in Seattle, our problem has more frequently been flooding, not drought. Current predictions by the City of Seattle suggest that with population growth, the current water supply is enough to meet the demands of Seattle's population until 2060. So why should we in Seattle worry about water conservation?

Secondary Spillway on Masonry Dam

Here's what I think:

1. Saving water uses less energy for treating and heating water.
2. Saving water creates less wastewater, which in turn uses less energy and puts less stress on low-capacity sewer networks.
3. Our current water usage habits are unsustainable in the long-term: developing water-saving habits now prepares us for a future when water resources are scarce.
4. You should never live your life by the motto, “I’ve got mine.”
5. One billion people in this world don't have access to clean drinking water. Every 19 seconds, a child dies from a water-borne illness. Knowing that, can you treat water as if it means nothing?