My Awesome Water in Taos

So, I took the fresh water quiz online at  http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/freshwater-101-quiz/.  I missed two questions: The “constitutional rights of rivers” and “jeans.” So, I think I got the really important ones.

I am very fortunate to live in an isolated valley containing an aquifer that is AWESOME! Our water here is clean, delicious, and PLENTIFUL. Yes, I said plentiful. In short, the west side of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range is our watershed and the aquifer is bounded by the Rio Grande gorge. So, we have gobs of water here and if you cross the “Gorge bridge” it’s dry as a bone. Land is super cheap over there, so people do occupy it, and those guys have to manage their catchment water very efficiently and also haul it in. Ugh. We, on the other hand, aren’t going to run out, even if our population were to rise greatly here in Taos valley. I know that’s not a popular opinion for those who believe conservation is godliness, but I follow the belief that it is most important to preserve the quality of the water as it filters right back in to the aquifer. Avoiding evaporation however, is an issue I take to heart. So, all my landscaping is on a timed drip system and are native plants to the area (actually, this is not my doing – I rent and the landscaping company is super-environmentally-aware.) I know that our septic system is functioning properly and THAT seems to be the main thing between the water I use at home and the return to nature. Now, if I lived in Albuquerque, this would be a whole different story. They are over pumping their aquifer at a dangerous rate and water conservation is necessary in every possible front.

So, what do I do to retain water quality where I live? I recycle all my batteries, oil, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. I use phosphate free products (septic safe,) and I DO NOT DRINK BOTTLED WATER (or soda.) I think that is the craziest thing we people do here in the US. I know some of you don’t have sweet water like I have, but it seems ridiculous on so many levels to transport water across the country in little petroleum based containers. A radical idea would be to make it illegal. Maybe even rich people, who can afford to buy bottled water, would be forced to get something done locally about protecting their own water supply if they had to drink the same thing everyone else in their area drinks and give it to their children. I know. It’s radical, but America is getting really stupid when it comes to bottling things we should get locally. Comments?