This article is dedicated to changing the common perception of where water comes from, how much of it is ours to use and how we can live using only our fair share. Water shortages have become a global concern, with climate change, population growth and pollution placing continued strain on available ground and surface water supplies. Every region of the US has experienced water issues over the past few years, some even outside of drought conditions.
Also across the US, aging water and wastewater infrastructure systems are in desperate need of major renovations and replacements, wasting unacceptable volumes of potable water to leaks, while sprawl demands we use our available funds to build an ever-expanding network of new installations that also will require maintenance over time. It is uncertain that we can ever commit the tremendous amount of resources and funds needed to fix these problems. So before we take any steps in that direction, we should stop and analyze whether the infrastructure systems of the past are the best solution for managing water resources in our future.
The title of this article is not a premonition of the future of water on the planet (we hope!), but a visionary goal of what we might achieve some day in terms of living sustainably on our available fresh water supplies. In some areas, current legislation and building codes prohibit some of the strategies that we will discuss here, which is even more reason to bring them to the table. In the future, we will need to remove these unnecessary hurdles so that we can progress toward mainstream water independence.
Most of the strategies to be discussed here are currently being used in areas where public surface water supplies are not available and the cost of drilling for groundwater is prohibitive. These methods provide responsible solutions that can be implemented in urban as well as rural settings, on a large, development-wide scale or in individual applications. People in various communities are making efforts to work through these issues within their particular jurisdictions, so currently we can only caution you to check with your state and local water quality regulators for how these strategies can be applied in your area.
Also, we’d like to note that some topics discussed here may question current policies and practices with regard to individual water rights. We continue to see stopgap measures where entire communities install permanent infrastructure and miles of new water lines to tap remote water resources when their existing local supplies can no longer address demand. As extreme weather events result in demand exceeding supply, they partner with neighboring communities to share available resources. This is just a band-aid that will lead to a bigger problem in the future, as those resources also become overextended.
This title’s content is based on the premise that water resources belong to everyone in a local or regional geographic area defined by shared water resources. This includes rivers, lakes, aquifers and natural springs, as well as rainfall, that may provide water supplies to vast expanses of land. These areas usually include cities and towns, agricultural developments, ranches and industry. Many of our current water- right laws have upheld the concept that if you can pump it, it is yours to use (right of capture) – the idea that we each have a right to unlimited supply. This is simply not sustainable, especially as our global populations grow and migrate toward certain urban areas that are attracting population growth.
There are instances where agricultural developments have been denied water, so that urban development can continue in unsustainable practices. Ranches have been forced to sell off their stock due to inadequate rains for growing hay or filling ponds. We need to reevaluate and redefine our priorities with regard to two of our most valuable resources-water and food. We must find ways to manage both for the greater sustainability of our ecosystems and our own sustenance.
As our global population continues to grow and more people migrate to dense urban areas, at some point there will be too many straws in the well of local water resources. As climate change continues to move many areas to a more arid climate, periods of extended drought will lead to decreasing natural water supplies. As populations increase and water supplies dwindle, how will we have enough water? Certainly we will need to make some difficult choices.
