Water War?
“If the wars of this century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water.”
1995 World Bank vice president Ismail Serageldin
The average American uses 100 gallons of water per person, per day. Considering that most of the world gets by on as little as 2.5 gallons per person, per day, that’s huge!
Water may be second only to electricity in terms of taking things for granted. Like electricity, water is always there for us. Whether we are turning on the faucet to take a shower or to do laundry, it’s there.
According to a 2002 article by Lester Brown there is a worldwide depletion of our underground aquifiers. In Mexico, the water table is falling by 2-3 meters per year and in India by 1-3 meters per year. In the United States, the Colorado River rarely reaches the ocean. The same is true for the Rio Grande River in Mexico and the Yellow River in China. Population growth, which creates overuse of water supplies has fueled a global water shortage. According to a 2003 United Nations report, within 50 years more than half of the world’s population will be living with water shortages, depleated fisheries, and polluted coastlines.
What about closer to home? Why should we be concerned about water shortages? For some years there has been vigorous debate as to whether Great Lakes water should be privatized and sold for profit, or should it be protected and preserved?
In 1998, an Ontario consultant caused a stir throughout the Great Lakes region by proposing to ship Lake Superior water to Asia. This never happened. Instead, it motivated the 8 Great Lakes states and 2 Canadian provinces to create a strategy for prohibiting such use of the Great Lakes water system. This plan is known as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. The governers of these states reached a deal in 2005, but the statehouses and lawmakers have been slow to embrace the compact. The compact would require states to approve any major water diversion outside the Great Lakes watershed and regulate new commercial uses of water.
In February 2007, Minnesota became the first, and only, state to sign the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact. While only 15% of Minnesota is part of a Great Lakes watershed, this will have much larger implications for our neighbors in Wisconsin and Michigan. What many of the other states disagree with is that the compact also regulates water use and the adoption of a conservation plan, in keeping with regional standards. These rules would affect anything requiring large amounts of water including sewage treatment, irrigation, and automobile manufacturing.
There are many factors under consideration as states continue debating this issue. How people use water in Green Bay and Duluth may differ greatly than the needs of Cleveland or Toronto. How should the needs of all cities be addressed? What about smaller suburban cities that are within Great Lakes states, but outside the lakes’ drainage basin? Should water be diverted to these communities, if needed? However, we all share in the responsibility to hopefully, protect our precious resources (for additional information visit this website).
Maybe a threat to our fresh water supply won’t come from Asia anymore, but what about the drought stricken southwestern US? What are some things that we can do locally to protect and preserve our water supply?
- Stop the drips! A dripping faucet can waste 20 gallons of water per day.
- Install new fixtures. Consider low-volume or dual-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads, water efficient dishwashers and washing machines.
- Practice good water habits. Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes.
- Say ‘No’ to the bottle! Purchasing bottled water may very well be the biggest scam out there. Bottled water is not as well regulated as your municipal water supply. For more information see here or here.
- Think beyond the lawn. Turf grasses are drought resistant, so they really don’t need to be watered. Consider planting native plants and grasses that don’t require a lot of water.
- Install rain barrels. Collect what come naturally and reuse it to water your flowers and veggies.
- Collect greywater. Start by collecting the water as you ‘warm-up’ the shower. Reuse the laundry rinse water for a second load.
- Get involved! There are many local organizations that provide education to our community. Email the footprint or visit the Forum for more information.