The Big Here

"The Big Here" is a quiz designed to get people thinking about the place they live. "The intent of this quiz is to inspire you to answer the questions you can't initially."

The quiz can be found at: http://www.kk.org/helpwanted/archives/001084.php

The questions are reproduced below so we can answer them here collaboratively.

= The Questions =

1) Point north.
Obviously, this answer is different for everyone. Go ahead and point north right now though. Just to show you can. ;)

2) What time is sunset today?
Today the sun set at 7:23PM. This time changes daily. The current sunrise/sunset times for Cincinnati can be found at: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=414

3) Trace the water you drink from rainfall to your tap.
The vast majority of Cincinnati is served by the Greater Cincinnati Water Works. GCWW has two plants that supply the area. The Miller Treatment Plant treats surface water from the Ohio River and supplies 88% of drinking water to GCWW's customers, including most of the City of Cincinnati. The Bolton Treatment Plant treats groundwater from ten wells in the Great Miami Aquifer. It is located in southern Butler County. Our aquifer (buried sand and gravel filled with water) is 150-200 feet deep and two miles wide. Bolton Plant supplies about 12% of GCWW water.

So, in the city, I am served by the Miller Plant. This means my water is collected from the Ohio River. The Ohio River Watershed is very large ( here is a map: http://www.orsanco.org/rivinfo/basin/basin.asp ). Water in Cincinnati could presumably have started in any area more or less upstream of the city in that basin. After is is collected, it goes through a treatment process (detailed here: http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/water/pages/-3283-/ ) and then is pumped to my house. A map of the GCWW's plants can be found at: http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=113527232130502588508.000452b133642147a42df

5) How many feet above sea level are you?
Cincinnati elevation is 540 feet above sea level.

7) How far do you have to travel before you reach a different watershed? Can you draw the boundaries of yours?
The Ohio River Watershed is very large ( here is a map: http://www.orsanco.org/rivinfo/basin/basin.asp ). It looks like you'd have to drive to the upper portion of Ohio (Lima, Findlay, or Akron maybe) to get out of this watershed. Probably near 200 miles at the closest.

11) From what direction do storms generally come?
Here in Cincinnati storms generally come from the west - they travel west to east. Not sure if it's more from the north-west or south-west.

16) Where is the nearest earthquake fault? When did it last move?
The nearest active fault line to Cincinnati is the New Madrid fault line 350 miles away near New Madrid, Missouri: "Cincinnati is not on or close to a fault line, Kilinc says. The nearest active one is the New Madrid Fault Line, about 350 miles west of Cincinnati. The last major (7.5 or higher) New Madrid-line earthquake was in December 1811 and January 1812. The fault line actually closest to Cincinnati, Kilinc adds, is just south of Lexington, Ky., but it’s not currently active." This fault shook us recently in April of 2008.

19) How many days is the growing season here (from frost to frost)?
According to this chart ( http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php ) the growing season in Cincinnati is 192 days; from Apr. 13 to Oct. 23. This chart ( http://www.geocities.com/mastergardener2k/frost.html ) varies slightly: April 14 - October 27 = 195 Days.

21) What was the total rainfall here last year?
The total rainfall in 2007 was 36.72 inches. Source: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080805/NEWS01/808050319

29) Where is the nearest wilderness? When was the last time a fire burned through it?
Based on this map: http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=stateView&state=ky&map=ky it looks like the nearest official wilderness is the Charles C. Deam Wilderness in Indiana. The Clifty Wilderness in Kentucky is also not much further. The Deam Wilderness is approximately 100 miles away (distance calculated using: http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html ). There was a bad wildfire in the Deam Wilderness in 1953 but it is unclear if that was the most recent fire.

30) How many days till the moon is full?
This obviously changes every time you answer it, but I went ahead and answered it for today (October 4th, 2008). According to the Cincinnati Astronomical Society, the next full moon will be October 14th, 2008. That's 10 days from today.

= The Bigger Here Bonus Questions: =

34) Name two places on different continents that have similar sunshine/rainfall/wind and temperature patterns to here.
= The Power Awareness Quiz =

1. What is the name of the utility which delivers electricity to your home? Who owns it?
Duke Energy

10. Does your local utility allow you to generate your own electricity and feed it back into the grid for credit (two-way metering)?
Yes: http://www.duke-energy.com/ohio/customer-owned-generation.asp

11. How much electricity do you use in a year compared to 10 years ago?
== 12. What is your solar footprint? At today's (2008) consumer photovoltaic technology, how many square feet of solar panels would you need to supply all your current peak electrical needs? (Assuming a shade-free location in your town.) ==

18. What the insulation factor of your primary shelter? How much power does it need to keep room temperature?
== 19. Do "wheelers" re-sell power on your power grid? (Wheelers do not own power lines or power plants. They purchase access to power lines and then re-sell it at higher prices on the "spot" market.) How much of your electric bill is from higher priced wheelers? ==

== 20. Do businesses have the option of "sheddable" loads in your energy region? (Earn or save money by agreeing to shut down or reduce inflow during high demand?) Does your energy utility penalize you for conserving "too much" and reducing your bill below what they expected? ==

21. How much of the price of your electricity (per kwh) comes from tax payer funding, public and private bonds, federal subsidies, and how much from private electricity bills?
== 22. How much of your monthly power bill is "stranded" or "inherited" costs? (Costs not based on electricity you received but past debts for unexpected costs or mismanagement, or that came from grid mergers in which the utility bought a new grid with higher rates and allocated some of the higher rates to your home.) ==

23. What are the optimal renewable energy places (for solar, wind, geothermal, biofuels, or hydro) nearest your home?
= References =