The
huge Ogallala aquifer, the primary source of water for the agricultural
high plains of West Texas and the Great Plain states, is already
one-fourth depleted. Many cities use every drop of water available
locally. Water levels in wells in Tucson, for example, have dropped as
much as several hundred feet during the past 30 years. An aqueduct is
being built to bring water to the city from the Colorado River (more than
200 miles away). Los Angeles and other cities in Southern California draw
from the Owens Valley, 340 miles to the north, form the Colorado River,
240 miles to the east, and from other rivers more than 400 miles to the
northwest. New York, San Francisco and Denver also rely on water imported
from large distances. Such hugh projects are extremely expensive and are
less likely to be built in the future.
Hydrologists works with engineers and other scientists to provide creative solutions to finding ways of extending water supplies. Together, they may work on projects such as investigating the feasibility of increasing supplies by method such as desalting ocean water, cloud seeding to increase rainfall, or capturing storm runoff for replenishing groundwater. Treated sewage effluent can be used in place of valuable drinking water for irrigation of parks an golf courses as well as for some industrial and mining uses.
Information provided by: http://www.uwin.siu.edu