Ever play Whack-A-Mole at a carnival? You know, a fake mole pops out of different holes and each time it pops out, you try to whack it. You stay real busy whacking thismole and then thatmole. Every time you think you’ve got it solved, another mole pops back.
That’s like us saying we have to solve our produced water disposalproblem, we have to solve our airqualityproblem, we have to solve our soilhealth problem, we have to solve our arid land water scarcityproblem, we have to solve . . . well, you get the idea. We keep whacking our problems with one-off solutions (and it’s not working…).
Instead – it’s time for a total ecological solution!
The solution is to Just Add Water!
Oil companies are trying to figure out how to deal with their hundreds of millions of gallons of produced water. They whack the mole by sticking this by-product water in the ground, effectively tossing it away. The mole is whacked, but the problem still remains. They’ve just moved the by-product water to a different place. Oops, there’s that mole again.
We’re trying to remove carbon out of the air and get more oxygen into the air. We all like to breath O much better than C. So, we try whacking the mole by calling for an end of fossil fuels. But if today, we shut off the gas pumps, the world literally comes to a standstill. Some say that’s a solution, but it doesn’t solve our problem today. Dang, that mole’s back!
We need to use precious water from the aquifer sometimes to irrigate our land for ag or conservation. So, we whack the mole repeatedly, draining the aquifer, but then we get a little thirsty. Pesky mole!
Our soil in the arid west is dead – nothing grows because there’s no water. This time, we don’t even try to whack the mole because no one has a solution – good or bad -- because arid land needs (wait for it) water. But where’s a new source of water?
Instead, let’s do this: Repurpose that by-product water – stop throwing it away! Clean it up and put it on the nearby arid land that’s only growing more dust. Soon, you have better, healthy soil. With soil and water, you get vegetation that helps stop soil erosion and creates that thing you learned about in school – photosynthesis. If you have photosynthesis, what happens, class? Well, the vegetation pulls the carbon out of the air and secures it in its roots and surrounding soil. Then, the vegetation releases an abundance of oxygen into the air.
· Produced water problem solved.
· Soil health problem solved.
· Aquifer problem solved.
· Air quality problem solved, along with mitigating climate disruption.
And it’s all because we decide not to whack another mole. And instead, JUST ADD WATER.
Let’s talk about it. CLICK HERE
Oh, and just so you know, no moles were harmed in the writing of this article.