| Water Issues |
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Over 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by our oceans which support
the greatest variety of life on earth. Indeed, the oceans are so vast
that less than 10% have yet to be explored by humans. Substances found
in marine plants are used in medicine, ice cream, toothpaste,
fertilizers, cosmetics, and livestock feed. Most of the solar energy
reaching the earth is stored in the ocean. In the next twenty years it is expected that 7.5 million people will depend on the ocean as their primary food source. This food source is being threated by pollution as a result of over fishing, oil drilling, shipping, coastal development , and other human activities. We have treated our oceans as an inexhaustible resource which has resulted in a large scale exploitation of our eco-system. Though the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act have been helpful, there are still many big challenges ahead of us. OUR LAKES, RIVERS, STREAMS, AND ESTUARIES Our lakes and reservoirs are important to us for drinking water as well as water for industrial use. The Great Lakes alone supply about 24 million Americans with reliable fresh water. Our lakes are also used for fishing, transportation, irrigation and provide a habitat to a large plant and animal population. Our rivers and streams also provide habitat for a wide variety of plants and animals. They are also used for fishing, transportation, irrigation and a water supply to industry. Protecting them from pollution is just as important as protecting our lakes. Our Estuaries, which are the transition zone between rivers and the sea, provide habitat for a unique collection of plants and animals which have both aesthetic and commercial value. They support large sea grass meadows as well as many kinds of fish and shell fish and are home to a unique variety of plants, trees, birds, and other wildlife. Over the past 25 years, America has made great progress in cleaning up its lakes, rivers, water-ways, and estuaries, thanks to the Clean Water Act . We have actually doubled the number of waterways suitable for fishing and recreation over that same time period. While pollution from factories, sewage treatment plants, and wetland losses have been reduced, pollution from other sources such as city streets and agricultural areas have, unfortunately, been on the increase. Accordingly, 40% of our waterways are still not safe for fishing and swimming. FRESH WATER SUPPLYFresh water is a finite resource. More than one billion people around the world do not have access to it and that number is expected to significantly increase over the next decade. Already water tables have fallen and continue to fall in China, India, and the United States. Under the north China Plain, the tables are falling about five feet per year and 300 cities are already running short of water. This has forced the government to divert water from agricultural areas which is, in turn, causing farmers to go out of business. The water in nearby rivers that might be used for irrigation to these farm areas are too polluted with heavy metals to be used for agriculture.In India, the pumping of underground water is estimated to be double the amount being replenished by rainfall. The rivers are also polluted, creating similar problems to those in China. Egypt gets essentially no rainfall and all of its agriculture depends on seasonal floods from the Nile River for irrigation and from the water stored behind the Aswan Dam. The problem is even worse in Ethiopia and Sudan who also depend on the Nile’s limited fresh water supply Most parts of the world are affected by water shortages in one way or another. Even places like Israel, which is known for all its efforts to conserve water, have developed a situation where withdrawals now exceed supplies. This is also allowing sea water to pollute its drinking water. In the United States, there is already a shortage in our fresh water supply in the Southwest where farmers, conservationists, and commercial industries are arguing over the water found in the Colorado River. In the southern Great Plains, farmers have been forced to cut back on irrigation. Water shortage is a world-wide problem. It is expected that by 2025 the number of people living in water stressed areas could grow to over 3 billion. That means that a large share of humanity will lack enough FRESH WATER SUPPLY to sustain a healthy life and could, indeed, lead to military conflicts around the world. Our fresh water suppoly is dependent on many things and comes from several sources: GROUND WATER Ground water is the most important component to the health of our eco-system. Ground water, which occurs in the sand, gravel, and rock materials beneath the earth’s service, purifies the water that goes into it and accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s fresh water supply. About 50% of the U.S. population uses ground water for drinking. In the U.S. 450 billion gallons of ground water is withdrawn each year from their underground aquifiers. About one fourth of it is consumed and the balance is used mainly by industry and agriculture. The misuse of agricultural chemicals, improper location of septic tanks, toxic waste spills, and even the discharge of pollutants into the atmosphere (which cause acid rain) can affect our ground water. It is urgent that we do everything we can to restore the quality of our ground water when it is contaminated, even when it requires a lot of time, effort, and money. Clean water sources are critical to our health and prosperity and we must remain ever diligent when it comes to this important issue. MELTING GLACIERS Glaciers and ice cap melting are also a threat to the world fresh water supply. About 75% of the world’s fresh water is stored in glacier ice. In dry countries, 95% of the water in river networks comes from mountain glaciers. As these glaciers shrink, we get closer and closer to a water crisis in many parts of the world. Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania may lose it ice cap entirely by 2030. In Tibet, the melting of the glaciers will close off water supplies in large parts of China and effect millions of people. SAVING WETLANDS Wetlands are a vital component to our watersheds. They occur near our rivers, lakes, and flood plains. The natural functions of these wetlands can also be impaired by human activity. In the past they were considered wastelands that needed to be eliminated and in less than twenty years we eliminated almost half of them. Today we realize their incredible value to us and we continue to protect them under our Clean Water Act. There are four types of wetlands-- swamps, bogs, marshes and fens which are distinguished in several ways. Marshes include reeds, cattails, and lily pads. Swamps contain conifers and more woody plants. Also, the highly organic soils of swamps form a nutrient rich environment for the growth of water tolerant trees such as white cedar and cypress. They are habitats for fresh water shrimp, crayfish, and clams. Bogs have cranberries, orchids, and insect eating plants. They have highly acidic waters and support a variety of unique vegetation, including cranberry, blueberry, and cotton grass. They can also help with global warming because peat can absorb large amount of carbon dioxide. Fens differ from bogs because they are less acidic and have even higher nutrient values. Accordingly, they can support a larger variety of plant and animal life. Like bogs, however, they exist in the Northeastern U.S., the Great Lakes region and in Canada. Saving wetlands is critical because they serve a number of important functions. Like our underground water aquifiers, they act as a holding area for large quantities of water and also play an important role in maintaining local water quality by removing nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticides from the water. This happens through a variety of biological processes which transfer these contaminants and other harmful substances into the sediment or back into the atmosphere. Finally, saving wetlands is important because they supply vegetation to a variety of wildlife and make a positive contribution to soil moisture in agricultural areas. Also, by holding and storing water in large quantities, they reduce the threat of flooding. These and other benefits have even resulted in the construction of artificial wetlands in the United States and other countries (link 12) INNOVATIVE WATER SOLUTIONSThere are some pockets of hope on the horizon for keeping our water pure. Chicago, for example, has come up with an innovative solution called “Growing Water .” which pipes in water from Lake Michigan into the city’s skyscrapers through specially constructed “eco-boulevards’ that contain the appropriate micro-organisms. The micro-organisms clean the water before returning it to Lake Michigan. Currently less than one per cent of the water we use is returned to its source for later re-use. The innovative water solutions being tried in Chicago is expected to be a model for other cities that source their water from nearby lakes.Chicago is also retrofitting its alleys using pavement with is porous, allowing rain water and other water to penetrate the soil beneath it. This will recharge the underground water supply instead of running off into sewers and polluting nearby streams. Yet another innovative water solution is being tested in Orange County which will purify 70 million gallons of sewage water a day, turning it into fresh, clean drinking water. Planners in Texas are considering the same solution. Even though the technology will produce water that exceeds drinking water standards, it will not flow directly into kitchen and bathroom faucets but will ,instead, be injected underground with half of it forming a barrier against sea water intrusion and the other half of it filtering into aquifiers that supply 2.3 million people in the Orange Country area. Other technologies such as converting sea water into fresh water through salination is being used in Florida and California and it is hoped that the technology can be more affordable than it was in previous efforts. We can only be hopeful that we will come up with all creative solutions needed to help preserve our fresh water supplies, not only in the U.S., but in other parts of the world. |