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Outdoor Water Conservation
Water conservation methods and solutions are readily available, and there are numerous water conservation devices available in many retail stores and online that are also affordable. These pages on water conservation are piece of the solution since they help to educate the public as well as offer solutions. Although both outdoor and indoor water conservation generally involve reducing water use and eliminating water pollution, outdoor water conservation poses more complicated and more serious concerns. Water used indoors go through processes that, although are designed to mimic nature, are done in a more controlled environment. What is dispensed indoors pass through drainage and sewer systems and are routed to filtration and treatment systems before being reused or released to freshwater bodies. For this reason, indoor water conservation focuses more on reduction of water use than elimination of pollution, provided that drainage and sewer systems are constantly in pristine condition. Outdoor water conservation is not quite as simple. What is dispensed outdoors often seeps into the ground where the filtration and treatment process is left to nature. This poses a number of problems mostly due to the fact that water used outdoors often have contaminants that natural processes aren't equipped to handle. Contaminated water, then, may enter groundwater resources. Furthermore, contaminants in water have the potential to negatively affect the ground through which it passes. Even water collected through stormdrains has a huge potential to harm the environment. Stormdrains are specifically made to drain excess outdoor water. They are particularly helpful during rainy seasons where excess water from streets and pavements need to be drained to avoid flooding. However, stormdrains generally lead directly to bodies of water. For this reason, contaminants suspended or dissolved in stormwater can easily enter canals, lakes, rivers, seas, reservoirs, oceans, and other bodies used as catchbasins. Whenever this happens, our supply of clean water is depleted. The designs of outdated sewage systems in old cities also pose some huge concerns. Many of them have combined sewer systems that collect both sewage and runoff before being stored, treated, and released. The rationale behind this design is that they are cheaper to develop. Problems arise each time there is heavy rainfall and facilities cannot store all water collected due to large volume. When this happens, collected water (which includes both runoff and sewage) is routed directly to receiving bodies without undergoing treatment. This pollutes the supply of clean water. Even if stormdrains were to clean water before dispensing them into bodies of water, they pose other problems in terms of water conservation as it reduces the chances of rain to enter the ground. This reduces the amount of groundwater being replenished and lowers the water table. When the water that enters the ground is not enough for groundwater recharge, there is an increased incidence of drought. Outdoor water issues poses a number of concerns. Many governments and organizations, however, are continuously making developments to ensure proper routing and treatment of water. These developments protect natural processes to encourage sustainability as well as advancements that keep us from polluting or depleting our limited sources of clean water. http://yosemite.epa.gov/water/owrccatalog.nsf/1ffc8769fdecb48085256ad3006f39fa/79a8717af0fbf58785257192005ff70f!OpenDocument Australia Water Conservation Programs Water Conservation in the Home Water Conservation Legislation Return From Outdoor Water Conservation to the Benefits of Recycling home page.
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