Because of the volume in question. We use a LOT of water, and it's expensive to pipe uphill, because of the infrastructure and energy. Water is heavy. The vast majority of our water infrastructure is based on letting it run downhill, or using pressure from somewhere even higher to make it go slightly uphill (pipes can get water to the top floor mostly because the main source of water is even higher, so the pipes are pressurized from gravity.)
Ms. Gussow is still the amazing educator.
With the water question in California, they can pipe oil, why not water?
Because of the volume in question. We use a LOT of water, and it's expensive to pipe uphill, because of the infrastructure and energy. Water is heavy. The vast majority of our water infrastructure is based on letting it run downhill, or using pressure from somewhere even higher to make it go slightly uphill (pipes can get water to the top floor mostly because the main source of water is even higher, so the pipes are pressurized from gravity.)