Fake Snow for China Olympics Needs 49 Million Gallons of Water

China has an ambitious plan for how it will get enough water to create fully fake snow for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Most of the outdoor Olympics events will happen in the normally parched mountains in the Zhangjiakou and Yanqing areas, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) north of Beijing, which receive only about 7 to 8 inches of snow a year.

The country estimates that it will need around 186,000 cubic meters of water (49 million gallons) for snow-making during outdoor events like downhill skiing, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, and snowboarding.

In considering Beijing’s ...