Cape Town, South Africa’s Dire Water Supply Crisis Raises Concerns in the U.S.
Facing the worst drought in its history, Cape Town, South Africa is in danger of running out of its water supply. The crisis has officials in the U.S. pondering whether cities here could one day face a similar fate. Cape Town has been monitoring the number of days to Day Zero, when the city’s supply would run dry, and has advised all residents to limit water consumption to 50 liters (13.2 gallons) a day. There are estimates that by 2025, two-thirds of humanity could be struggling with water shortages.
Three major U.S. cities—Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and Miami—are considered high risk for a water shortage crisis. Los Angeles has been challenged by water shortages for much of its history, and a 2014 drought led city officials to instruct residents reduce water usage by 25% in 2015.
With temperatures rising, the mountains around Salt Lake City will receive less snow, which would decrease the flow of water from snow melt. In Miami, the problem is rising seawater leaking into, and contaminating, fresh water supplies above and below ground.
Global Construction Waste to Almost Double by 2025
The volume of construction waste generated worldwide every year will nearly double to 2.2 billion tons by 2025, according to a report by Transparency Market Research. The study says “reduce, reuse and recycle” policies are necessary to control the amount of construction waste. To date, such policies have been hampered by insufficient resources, lack of standardization, slim profit margins, policy apathy, and lack of education regarding the issues.
Construction waste is already causing safety and environmental concerns around the globe. In December 2015, a pile of construction debris caused a landslide in Shenzhen, China, that killed more than 70 people.
Texas has been burdened by waste created by Hurricane Harvey in the Houston area last year. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has waived some solid waste disposal regulations to hasten the clean-up. In Minnesota, construction debris is affecting groundwater, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is pushing for tougher standards for demolition landfills that have no barrier between waste and groundwater.
Airbnb Has Nominal Impact on Housing Affordability in L.A., Study Says
Home sharing platforms such as Airbnb are worsening the housing affordability crisis in Los Angeles, but only by a little, according to a recent study. Research from UCLA Ziman Center for Real Estate analyzed the potential link between the affordability crisis and home sharing platforms.
The study found that a 10% increase in Airbnb listings creates a .04% increase in rental rates. When the stock of Airbnb rooms increases 10%, it leads to a .73% increase in housing prices. Researchers say a lack of supply and stagnant incomes are much more important factors contributing to the affordability problem.
Plumbing Manufacturers Concerned over Link between Low Flow Rules and Legionnaire’s Disease
Plumbing Manufacturers International (PMI) wants Washington State lawmakers to examine new research on low-flow plumbing before voting on more stringent water regulations. The concern is based on studies linking low-flow water requirements to Legionnaire’s Disease.
The proposed legislation would reduce water flow to WaterSense levels for toilets and below WaterSense levels for urinals, showerheads, and bathroom faucets. California is currently the only state with plumbing standards more stringent than WaterSense levels.
3D-Printed Home Could Alleviate Lack of Adequate Housing
ICON, an Austin, Texas startup, has developed way to print a single-story 650 sf house out of cement in just 12 to 24 hours. The company plans to construct a community of about 100 homes in El Salvador next year.
An estimated 1.2 billion people worldwide live without adequate housing, and this technique could help alleviate the problem with a low-cost way to build sturdy homes. The company says it can print an entire home for $10,000, and aims to bring costs down to $4,000 per house.
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