In the U.S., the future of water supply looks bleak. There are expected to be water shortages in certain areas of the U.S. by as early as 2025 and most areas will be affected by 2050. Despite this, we are relatively fortunate compared to the rest of the world. Not only do third-world countries lack adequate resources to keep the population hydrated, but the water is usually tainted with chemicals or contaminated. However, some developed countries even lack the proper resources and quality that one would expect. There are startling figures from the World Health Organization and Water Project that convey the ugly truth of water scarcity around the world.
The amount of waste that is infiltrating our water is growing proportionately with the increasing population. The Water World Assessment Program estimates that people worldwide dump 2 million tons of waste into our water each day. At least 70% of industrial wastes are drained into the water in developing nations where they don't yet have anti-pollution precautions and laws in place. Here in the United States, we have a major problem in that agricultural waste products, from such things as fertilizer run-offs and hog confinements, and the wastes we pump into our water are being carried into the lakes, rivers, and oceans. In the 1970s, the United States banned the use of DDT, yet 40 years later, traces of the substance are still being found in our oceans.
In certain areas where water supply is adequate, the water may be extremely contaminated and full of diseases. In developing countries, 90% of the water supplied to households and communities is not treated at all. 70% of industrial waste is released back into these water supplies, resulting in water full of chemicals and disease. In these same communities with poor water, the agricultural systems use wastewater for production, resulting in contaminated food.
In China they built the world's largest dam; The Three Gorges Dam Project so that they can get water to their major cities. They had no choice and they realized the scarcity of water issues that they currently deal with, and how they will be exacerbated in the future. Now then, we already know that water is not scarce on the planet, only that fresh water is a challenge for us.
Officials in California continue to work non-stop trying to come up with a solution to their water woes. Water shed management alone has proved ineffective. It has become obvious to all concerned rain water alone will not be able to solve the state's water problems. The government has experimented with a number of solutions including using imported water. Still no matter what water conservation ideas the state tries water consumption continues to far outstrip the amount of water coming into the region.
Water is life as anyone on this planet knows. For California residents this is a truly frightening thought. As the California water crisis continues to drag on with no end in sight residents have begun to express real concern about the future of their state. If the combination of recycling efforts, water education and increased understanding of the hydrological cycle cannot solve the problem, California's future is bleak.
The amount of waste that is infiltrating our water is growing proportionately with the increasing population. The Water World Assessment Program estimates that people worldwide dump 2 million tons of waste into our water each day. At least 70% of industrial wastes are drained into the water in developing nations where they don't yet have anti-pollution precautions and laws in place. Here in the United States, we have a major problem in that agricultural waste products, from such things as fertilizer run-offs and hog confinements, and the wastes we pump into our water are being carried into the lakes, rivers, and oceans. In the 1970s, the United States banned the use of DDT, yet 40 years later, traces of the substance are still being found in our oceans.
In certain areas where water supply is adequate, the water may be extremely contaminated and full of diseases. In developing countries, 90% of the water supplied to households and communities is not treated at all. 70% of industrial waste is released back into these water supplies, resulting in water full of chemicals and disease. In these same communities with poor water, the agricultural systems use wastewater for production, resulting in contaminated food.
In China they built the world's largest dam; The Three Gorges Dam Project so that they can get water to their major cities. They had no choice and they realized the scarcity of water issues that they currently deal with, and how they will be exacerbated in the future. Now then, we already know that water is not scarce on the planet, only that fresh water is a challenge for us.
Officials in California continue to work non-stop trying to come up with a solution to their water woes. Water shed management alone has proved ineffective. It has become obvious to all concerned rain water alone will not be able to solve the state's water problems. The government has experimented with a number of solutions including using imported water. Still no matter what water conservation ideas the state tries water consumption continues to far outstrip the amount of water coming into the region.
Water is life as anyone on this planet knows. For California residents this is a truly frightening thought. As the California water crisis continues to drag on with no end in sight residents have begun to express real concern about the future of their state. If the combination of recycling efforts, water education and increased understanding of the hydrological cycle cannot solve the problem, California's future is bleak.
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