Water Usage....
Scott,.... You're missing the point here. First, water has to be taken from a source, somewhere, to be used at all (whether for human or other consumption). After that it may or may not be recycled.... But, it still has to made available.
Next, whether we all recycle or follow golf course rules or not, there's only 100% of water available from ground and surface water sources. So, recycling won't increase the water supply available from those sources for development in the desert. It just creates more re-uses for water (not necessarily a bad thing). Most of the irrigation systems on golf courses I've seen aren't overly efficient, either. So there's got to be a bunch of evaporation.
You and I are not going to agree on this and, as I said, water for golf courses in the desert (recycled or not) is a bad choice (....even tho you or I don't get to make it). Think about the implications for the Colorado River of making the choice to continue urban develop in places like Las Vegas.... Golf courses are a downstream result of urban development.... And, if we can believe what was said in the article (above), the impact of that type of development on the Colorado River will be to eventually de-water the river and dry up Lake Mead. Re-cycling on that scale would help but probably not be reasonable until crisis need drives us to make it happen. So, that choice would have massive, negative impacts on Downstream activities (SoCal, Arizona and Northern Mexican areas....) not to mention the loss of a lot hydroelectric power generation for California.
My vote is that we use water for the greens, no fairways and golfers should learn to play from the rough (like they do in Europe....)
"America is a country which produces citizens who will cross the ocean to fight for democracy but won't cross the street to vote."
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