Water sustainability has become a hot issue for utilities and water users. In many areas of the world, including the United States, demand for water is exceeding sources of supply. For example, it appears that ground water use is becoming unsustainable in some locations.
Recently, gravity-monitoring satellites have disclosed that ground water supplies have diminished substantially over the past nine years in many parts of the world, including California's Central Valley. (See Science News, January 14, 2012, p.9). It seems that rapid depletion of ground water particularly is occurring in major aquifers underlying arid regions.
While some reduced recharge may be attributed to climate conditions such as drought, it has been asserted that the largest depletion is due to farming irrigation uses. (Id at p.9).
No doubt, urban development also has been a cause for ground water depletion. For example, rapid housing growth in suburban Chicago resulted in serious mining and reduction of ground water of acceptable quality. Only the availability of Lake Michigan water through pipeline extensions enabled communities to abandon their diminishing wells.
Water sustainability, of course, also is an issue for surface water sources of supply. The same factors of demand and climate create stresses on rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Concerns over water sustainability are growing. For example, the American Water Works Association is presenting a four day sustainable water management conference March 18-21, 2012, in Portland, Oregon.
Attention to water sustainability by everyone is important. If we simply watch the well go dry, we surely will miss the water...and a lot more.
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