8 pages essay. environmental ethics

Water and Sustainability in the High Desert

In every region around the world, water is an essential requirement needed for almost every activity that takes place in the ecosystem. Plants and animals require water for growth and development. Also, humans in their day-to-day personal activities like personal hygiene and cooking, among other domestic activities, need water to do the chores (Cosgrove, 2013). In economic activities of man, with most of the economic activities employing the use of machines, water is essential for the running of these industrial processes. Likewise, in recreational areas like parks and swimming pools, water is used not only for the recreation but also for conservation of the recreational areas (Cosgrove, 2013). In the High Desert in Northern Arizona, water preservation and conservation has been an important aspect attributing to the development of the area, including the City of Flagstaff.

Currently, the City of Flagstaff has prioritized water conservation. The City of Flagstaff has rolled out a Water Availability Strategy to help the city be able to sufficiently provide water to its residents for domestic, industrial and recreational activities without straining. This program accounts for the reduction of water use, up to 50%. Although this is a positive improvement, the conservation for water sustainability has not yet been optimized.

Use of water for commercial purposes

With over 70,000 residents, water used for commercial purposes is sizably large. With an average use of slightly over 100 gallons per person per day, for commercial, residential and recreational activities, translating to over 7 million gallons of water used per day, much water is used by the residents for business purposes ("City of Flagstaff Official Website - Watering Rules", 2017). While residents may require water for personal hygiene, including bathing and any other cleaning activities, much of this water is accounted for in the commercial sector. The large population in the city leads to a higher demand for products that the residents would require to sustain them. For this sustainability of residents to be achieved, the commercial sector has to invest heavily in production to enable the industry to provide enough products for its consistently growing population. Since all production activities would require water use, consumption of water by industries and other production companies would subsequently increase. Also, concerning environmental ethics, most industries resolve to conserve their surrounding environment by landscaping and to plant and to preserve lawns and flower beds. These activities employ the use of water for the maintenance of the lawns and beds. Therefore, for sustainability of the residents of Flagstaff area, and also environmental conservation, more water is used by the commercial sector for these activities.

Method of meeting water needs for production sector

Since there is a steady population growth in the City of Flagstaff, the usage of water in the city will be in constant increase. With time, water will be scarce and unable to meet the needs of the residents. Therefore, alternative sources must be found to be able to provide additional water to cater for the needs of the population. The Red Gap Ranch is a potential surplus water source that can provide enough water for the projected population growth. While conservation and water reuse and recycle can also help to provide for additional water to satisfy the demands of the growing population, the quantities the process produces are minimal and would last a short time. Developing the Red Gap Ranch to increase groundwater use will quantifiably create much and enough water to serve the growing population. Moreover, this project’s efficiency is relatively cheap, although would require much capital.

Due to the high volumes of water from the development of Red Gap Ranch, it would be cheaper in the long term, compared to recycling, reuse, and conservation of water, which would vary from one person to the other. By resorting to developing the Red Gap Ranch, it would be fairer for the general public since conservation concepts would make some residents restricted on how to use water because water usage varies from one person to the other.

Water rates and usage restrictions in residential areas

The City of Flagstaff's primary purpose in water provision is to supply water to residents’ at the most affordable price. Due to high rates of inflation, from July 1st, 2016, the rates for water went up 4.4% resulting to averagely $30.30 for a single family customer ("City of Flagstaff Official Website - Rates", 2017). These rates are still very low.

Currently, City of Flagstaff has set up watering rules that govern the residents to avoid wastage. These rules include a restriction on irrigation days, irrigation hours, and vehicle washing process ("City of Flagstaff Official Website - Watering Rules", 2017). These limits are classified into more groups. Each group is accompanied by fines that a resident pays if found violating the rules and restrictions. These restrictions have helped reduce water wastage.

The city conducts an evaluation their financial plan for water in every four years. From this assessment, the city comes up with projects to partake to ensure the city has a steady provision of water to the residents. In the next ten years, the city plans to drill five new wells while investing in other projects to provide additional water for the growing population. Also, the city plans to replace various utility lines in estates and neighborhoods.

By investing heavily in the Red Gap Ranch development, and enforcing the restrictions already placed, City of Flagstaff can achieve water sustainability, providing enough water for the growing population in residential, commercial and recreational areas.

References

City of Flagstaff Official Website - Rates. (2017). Flagstaff.az.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?nid=1580

City of Flagstaff Official Website - Watering Rules. (2017). Flagstaff.az.gov. Retrieved 26 March 2017, from http://www.flagstaff.az.gov/index.aspx?NID=104

Cosgrove, W. (2013). Water Futures: the evolution of water scenarios. Current Opinion In Environmental Sustainability, 5(6), 559-565. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2013.10.001