Chase Goldsmith

English 301
11/18/15
Overpopulation

Water has always been an important issue throughout human history; this
is because water is necessary for human life. Yet as humans make advances in
health and technology people can live for a longer period of time. As many have
noticed there are more people on this planet than ever before. The
overpopulation of the planet has caused many problems; one such problem is
insufficient resources for a given population size. Water is one of these
resources; as Skinner and Kings study states, The amount of surface
freshwaters on Earth is remarkably small considering the human population
(2014). To understand why this is true an example of an area that is
overpopulated and is suffering from a drought is necessary; one such city is Los
Angeles. What makes Los Angeles unique is its diverse economic population.
The level of income is very different from area to area. A more affluent area will
use water differently than a poorer area. This proves that not only overpopulation
is a factor in water shortages but the income of individuals also affects water
supplies.

Recently Los Angeles has suffered a major shortage in water supplies.

Panzar states that, California gears up for the first mandatory water

restrictions (2015). California has placed water restrictions on its citizens. At

first glance this doesnt seem to be too alarming but looking deeper this
information is in fact very alarming. The amount of water available is so low that
restriction on its usage needs to be put into place. This means that the Los
Angeles area is suffering from a deficit in their water resource. As we can see
Los Angeles does have a very large population, about 3.884 million people (US
Census 2013). Each of these people in Los Angeles needs half an ounce and an
ounce of water for each pound they weigh (WebMD 2015). Doing the math
WebMD makes life simple by saying, if you weigh 150 pounds, that would be 75
to 150 ounces of water a day (2015). Putting these two ideas together a large
amount of water is needed to support life in Los Angeles. Although, this does
have a basic assumption, all people use water just to fit their needs. Depending
on a persons financial status water can be used for unnecessary needs.

Not all is bad news though; For a fourth straight month, Californians as a
whole have cut back water consumption by more than 25 percent (Calif.
2015). The Californian population as a whole has lowered its water usage.
Although this is good news, not all members of the population try and conserve
water; economic status affects the amount of water consumed by a person.
Beverly Hills and other affluent cities use far more water per capita than lesswealthy communities (Panzar 2015). Cities in California that have a population
with more wealth tend to use more water than cities where there is a smaller
wealthy population. To understand why this is an issue I will write about how a

difference in wealth effects the ability to purchase water. Areas with less money
will use less water because if they cannot afford their water bills then water will
be shut off from their house. The people in these areas tend to have jobs that
dont allow for careless spending. On the other side, those in more affluent areas
have a larger source of income so an inability to pay water bills is not an issue for
them. Even though a large population has changed its water habits, cities that
havent are taking a large amount of the water and using it without any limits.
This lessens the amount of water available for California and adds to the deficit
of water in California. Yet this is not a solution less problem.

Some of the more affluent areas are taking steps to try and conserve
water that is being used. Some Newport Beach residents are even taking on the
role of drought cops (Panzar 2015). This quote states that people in Newport, an
affluent area, are starting to try and police their own city on its water usage. This
may seem like only a local solution but if people across the state in these affluent
areas start policing their own neighborhoods then a possible drop in water usage
can be seen effectively solving this wealthy versus poor issue. Although this may
seem like a positive solution a logical oppositional argument can be established.

Some would argue that it is a right to be able purchase water without

restrictions. The reasoning behind this statement is if I have the money available
to spend why can I not spend it on a resource I need and use it how I see fit.
Although this is a valid point one must consider what water is used for; overusing

water doesnt just effect the amount of water available. Water is directly involved
in the production of food; one such food product that is very useful is corn. Corn
requires about 25 to 29 inches of rain during the season (Frate 2015).

Corn is vey important to almost all foods, as corn is an ingredient in many

different types of food consumed today. Therefore if people are allowed to use as
much water as they would like without restriction then the overall amount of water
available will decrease. If the amount of local water ends up not being able to
sustain the production of the corn then the company growing corn will have to
import water, which costs more money. This will mean that the overall cost of
production of corn will increase for the company. To compensate for this increase
the company will charge more for purchasing corn.

Corn is a very important crop; it is used in so many products that people

use today. If the price of corn increases then the price of foods and products that
require corn will increase to compensate for the increase in the price of corn.
This means that uncontrolled use of water doesnt just affect the amount of water
available.

The opposition might also state that if this state runs out of water cant we
just import water? Again this is a valid point, if I have the money to afford
imported water why should I care about maintaining water in my area? I argue
that this on a long term timeline does not fix any problems this just prolongs the

eventual rise in food prices and other water related products prices as water is a
finite resource, over time it can all run out.

The opposition could rebuke my argument by saying that the Government

will place restrictions on the water when they need to, why should I change my
water habits again if I can afford the water and the government regulates the
amount of water I can use. This argument does seem valid and it is a valid point,
in fact in Los Angeles does this with water it gets from Owens Valley. Yet we are
running Owens Valley dry and if no one changes his or her behavior then all the
water will dry up. Leading again to imported water which will also end up drying
up. A study done in Australia proves this point, financial constraints, legal
structures, regulations, a constrained physical environment, and community
expectations are all influencing factors [on water conservation] (Cooper
2011). This means that the governmental restrictions, financial constraints, legal
structures, regulations, a constrained physical environment, behavioral
modification and community expectations, allow for water to be conserved
correctly. Without expectations people wont change their water behavior and if
so some may use water incorrectly or overuse it worsening the problem of the
water shortage.
Water is always a topic that humans will discuss because water is
necessary for life. In California and around the world water shortages happen
and they cause problems for many people. So those who want to fix this problem
look at what factors cause this shortage. One major factor is overpopulation-

effecting water supplies; there are more people than the amount of water needed
to support these people. Another factor is differing economic backgrounds; those
with more money tend to be more careless with their water usage. This issue will
never go away but observing what solutions work and what doesnt and paying
attention to what causes the droughts will help civilizations monitor and manage
their water supplies.

Works Cited
Calif. Imposes First Fines to Suppliers Failing to Cut Back on Water Amid Drought
(2015, October 30). In Channel 4 News Southern California.
Cooper, B. , Burton, M. , & Crase, L. (2011). Urban water restrictions: Attitudes and
avoidance. Water Resources Research, 47(12)
Frate, C., & Schwankl, L. (2015). Corn. In University of California UC Drought
Management.
Panzar, Javier (2015). "California's wealthy lagging in water conservation." LA Times.
LA Times, 5 Apr. 2015. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
Pimentel, D. (2012). World overpopulation. Environment, Development and
Sustainability, 14(2), 151-152.
Population Estimates. (2013, July 17). In United States Census Bureau. Retrieved
November 18, 2015.
Skinner, H. , & King, H. (2014). Fluids in human bodies and biomineralization: Parallels
to global water resources and reactions. Environmental Earth Sciences, 72(12),
5229-5234.
Water and Your Diet: Staying Slim and Regular With H2O (n.d.). In WebMD. Retrieved
December 10, 2015.