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Health & Wellness

2008-05-01 13:20:00

Are we running out of safe, clean water?

Question: I have read recently that the world is running out of safe clean water, and that it has reached crisis proportions in some areas? Is that true? How will it affect us?

Answer: This is an interesting question, because it opens up a very complicated problem that many of us in Kansas are not aware of. We seem to have an abundant supply, and running out of water does not even seem to be a possibility. The earth contains vast quantities of water, but most of it is salt water. Less than 1% of the world’s water is potentially available for human consumption, and most of it is trapped in glaciers and the polar ice caps. Of the remaining water that is actually available for humans and animals to use, much of it has become polluted through human and animal waste, industrial waste, and chemical runoff. To understand the total scope of the water problems in the world, we need to know that today, over 1 billion people (about 1/6 of the world’s population) do not have a reliable source of safe drinking water. Now project that problem ahead only 42 years to 2050. In that short amount of time, the number of people without safe drinking water is expected to have grown to ½ of the world’s population. Even today, another child dies every 15 seconds somewhere in the world from water borne disease. This is a huge health issue that will only become worse with time. It is easy for us to say that we can see the problem in under-developed countries, but that it does not pertain to us. We can turn on our faucet any time we want, and we have an unending supply of fresh water. Much of our drinking water comes from wells, and Kansas is fortunate to be located over major aquifers or underground rivers of fresh water in sand and gravel beds deep underground. However, in parts of Kansas, the water level has dropped dramatically over the years from both domestic and agricultural water use, and steps will have to be taken to reduce the usage. One of the problems with water, is that it is not always available where it is needed most. In many parts of the U.S. from California to Florida and the Carolinas, population growth and related developments have exceeded the ability of traditional water supplies to consistently meet the area’s need for domestic water. The government projects that at least 36 states will face water shortages within five years because of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess. Here are some interesting examples of water shortages in the U.S. today: 1. Orange County in Southern California is using 60 million gallons of purified sewer water every day to replenish depleted groundwater supplies. 2. California farmers in the Palo Verde Valley are taking 26,000 acres of farm land out of production and selling their irrigation water to cities for domestic use. They can make more money selling their water than selling their crops. 3. Lake Mead, near Las Vegas, and Lake Powell are both formed by dams on the Colorado River that supplies water to 27 million people in 7 states. Both lakes are currently at less than 50% capacity, and researchers report that both have a 50/50 chance of being dry by 2021. 4. Residents of Long Beach cannot run fountains, and it is illegal for restaurants to serve a customer a glass of water unless they ask for it. 5. .Lake Lanier, a 38,000 acre reservoir in Georgia that supplies water to more than 3 million residents, was recently reported to be less than 3 months from depletion. Smaller reservoirs were dropping even lower. 6. In the Miami area of Southeastern Florida, the Biscayne Aquifer is being lowered by wells drawing out fresh water, and the aquifer is being recharged by salt water from the ocean, destroying its value. 7. The City of Raleigh, NC, has passed an ordinance prohibiting the installation of new garbage disposals and the replacement of existing ones in order to reduce water use. The fine for noncompliance is up to $25,000. 8. ABC News reports that Florida doesn’t have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York’s reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in the West, the Sierra Nevada snow pack is melting faster each year. 9. And the list goes on….. How all of this will affect us in Kansas waits to be seen. We know our ground water levels are dropping, and we know that Kansas is included in listings of states where water use is excessive and the potential for problems is growing. My crystal ball is a little fuzzy, but I think it is unrealistic to assume that Kansas is immune from being negatively affected in some way by our nation’s water shortages in the years ahead.