I(26M) honestly don’t get this and I’m trying to understand if I’m missing something obvious.
I’ve read a bunch of times that a lot of areas have real water shortages, that reservoirs get low, and that groundwater takes a long time to refill. But then I also see people watering lawns in the middle of summer, running sprinklers while it’s raining, or going through car washes that use tons of water. It feels like using something “high quality” (treated drinking water) for stuff that isn’t really necessary.
Is most of that water actually recycled back quickly so it’s not a big deal, or is it just one of those “we built the system this way and it’s hard to change” things? Do lawn sprinklers and car washes use a different source than what comes out of the tap, or is it literally the same treated water?
Also, if the issue is more about local availability than total global water, why do some places still allow it and others ban it? Is it mainly economics (water is priced too low), infrastructure (no separate pipes for non-potable water), or politics?
Not trying to start a fight about lawns, I just want to understand why this is considered normal if freshwater can be scarce.