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167 I . - ;',1 ," \-'~ ,.-.. ,'. " -: J. -=--:':.- ~.' . ,,0-'- ~_~ ..:a.~:~~:~:"~")..i'/':,~"i. -'~ "~~: .t'.~ -.)". .... . '.".' ~~t ,". '::;,'..i'~~..~ ,..~~i'_:..::~.n: SIGH ORAMATlZING DROUGHT PROBlEM IN MARIN COUNTY, CAlif A g/owmg demand lor 0 supply Ihal I ('mOlnt fhe somE'. . ph: Il'..;a\\,'s-llll"luJmg an ;J4uifcr rc~ l"('olly dIS..:l:\Crc.d under n\\r\hC;\S\l~Tn W.hm.lng Ih;l: c"'rcll~ behcl.c might ~ Il'ki as IllUl"h as b..:JC'O hie. 50 11.600 gal.J a rnlllulC f~\r I.Jc.:;ldcs h) come. ""There IS pknl)' "r \\aler III Ihe U.S.... S:J.ys Don~ ll\":lfi Kelly "r the I1er:\nmem of Inlc- ri'll's Geolnglc;.)1 Survey. "11'50 SImply nQl where you lIeed il .. Some l.(lur.aries are Iryil1g novel ap- rro:J.~hes 10 nicel their waler needs. Saudi Arabia has C0nlT~Cled wlln a f1.:n.:h firm 10slUdy Ihe feasibility of h'wing JP iceht:r~ from Antarcllca to a Red Sea porI. where II c.;()uld he melled f'l( ilo; fresh v."1ler. Elsewhere:. more COn- \<:n\l\)nal mt:\tJods are bein~ used to m. l'fC;lse the supply of uS.:J.ble water. Among Ihem: OESAlINA TlON. Though Isr:Jel- v.hll:h gelS IIl1le Of no lain for up 10 elgh\ mun\h=:. of the year-Jra\l"~ much l,r its waler from the Jordan River. il also gets rart ()f it!:. supply from the sea. IsrJeli dcsalm:J1Ion p/;.tnlS now <..i,~11 3 milhon cubiC meters 17.M hllhon gal.) of o:.c:a wa\er c\lcry year. The cost is high l~! per cubic meter). bUI th.; Israelis h:1\1e: Iillle choice. In Saudi Arabia. where (OSl is Ol) objcct. the government has embarked on a S J 1 billion prl)gr:.Jm lhil\ 'A"ill enable il \0 desall '2 ) bIllion Ii- Icr-, 4600 mll:lon gall a day oy 1980 Oil- rKh Kuw;J.it 31ready gets almost all of Ih .....aler by des.ahnalion. OEEP WELLS. By sinking wclls. Egyp- tt:Jn g1.:\\loglsb are 31lempting to tap the ..as! underground reserVOirs lhal ue be. h-.:\cd to ht: beneath the Western Oes- cfl. ,.nOle of them as much as 1.200 me- Icro, (4.000 ft I bc:low the sand, "Gelling .;1 Ihl' \\OIh:r:' says Egyplian Geologist 1(U';.hdl S;Jid. ........ill make it possihle for III..In Itl ~gain live in \hc desen.' But "III~ fllr :.l .....hlic Filled al (he rJ(c of "...I...."~I', 4. 1911 only millimelers a year. these reservoirs: or fO~SII walers are repleniShed so slow- ly thai Cor all practical purposes (heir I comenlS are finite. Though they may y't:ld ~'ait:1 for centUries, all will even. lUally run dry. RECYCLING. Some countries are, stretching lheir WOller supplies by reus- ing Waler. The Japanese J.Te 1esling a system under which waleT is firsl used for human consumption, then for Indus- . Irial purposes. Finland's pulp and p3per I industry IS lrymg a system under which I 11 recovers ~\s waste. and reuses ils \\.a- " ler rather than drawing heavtly on fresh supplies Olher counlTles require mal'1- ; ufaclurers ;Jnd power compaOles to in- slall clnsed...:ucuit cooling systems in. s\ead of <lllowing \hem III \:ontinually wilhdr~w waler from nvers or lakt:s. RIVER DIVERSIONS. The AusLralians are diverting much of a ri~er for irri- 1 galion; water from the Snowy River. which empties mio ihe Tasman Sea, is I being rerouted La flow through the: I Sl1o....y Mountams 1010 farm-land "'ater. mg syslems. The Soviels are working on a SImilar projecl inVOlving lhe Ob and the Yenisei. which flow north out of Si- beria 10 Lhe Kara Sea. By diverting pari of these walers soulhw3rd. the Soviets will feed them m~o an irrigalion system thai could ke~J"l marginal "'heat lands producli\le. AJllhesc apJ"lroaches will help ease I hut ClnnOI meet Ihe world's growmg ! need fllr water. No maller what is done J to Slretch waler supplies. they will be-I' come inadequa1e if man Continues to waSle and cont:\min:\le them-and 10 reproduce: in flumbers th;11 strain all , nJlurJI resources. The v.orld is tctting Ihirstier by the day. and unless it slarts I sJving waler now, it may find the weill dry lomorrow I "