How to Get Cold Water in Death Valley

It gets hot in the Southwest of the United States in the summertime. I have lived here most of my life, and I am used to it. In San Diego, we get a break, because the ocean is close and it cools things down. No rain, though. We could use the rain.

Death Valley, not too far from here, is very hot. Temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit are common. There is a community for park staff and service personnel at Cow Creek just north of Furnace Creek – doesn’t the name give it away already – on the floor of Death Valley. They get their water piped in from a source spring a few miles away. The pipe is buried just a few inches below ground, and the water heats up as it travels to the community.

As a result, in the summer, the hot water that comes out of their faucets is scalding hot. To get “cool” water, they turn off their water heaters, which are usually stored inside where it’s air-conditioned or at least bearable. So the hot water, as it sits in the reservoir of the water heater, cools down to a tepid temperature which feels cold compared to the hot water from the direct supply.

And there you go: Hot water from the cold tap, cool water from the hot tap.

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