Not a Drop to Drink
by Piper Wallingford
Without water, a healthy adult can live for five to ten days. Water is essential for life, lubricating joints, carrying nutrients, cooling the body, and allowing bodily processes to function. Its importance is especially significant considering its relative rarity. More than ninety-nine percent of Earth's water is unsuitable for human consumption because it is trapped in glaciers and ice caps or is too saline, as in the case of ocean water. As the human population continues to grow, available water decreases, but few people are willing to address the problem of overuse.
Water shortages have recently placed Atlanta, Georgia in a state of emergency. The city's reservoir Lake Lanier is diminishing at an alarming rate, and stranded boats and docks are a testament to the drought that has affected the south. In the past year, only twenty inches of rain fell, half of the area's usual recorded rainfall. Without a forecast for rain in the immediate future, the government has now implemented strict conservation policies aimed at decreasing the use of the remaining stored water. However, unless consumption practices change and the climate returns to normal, Atlanta has less than three months of water remaining.
In areas where frequent rains immediately alleviate water shortages, there are very few water conservation practices in place. In Atlanta, water restrictions went into effect a significant amount of time after the drought had already begun, with the most severe being implemented within the last month. Rather than addressing problems of overuse, the government allowed for usual rates of consumption, relying on rain that did not come. Governor Sonny Perdue even prayed for rain, rather than enforcing policies that could have alleviated effects of the drought. It is difficult to understand why Atlanta was so slow to implement water restrictions, especially when numerous models for conservation exist around the country. In order to avoid water emergencies, areas where rainfall is common should immediately begin using conservation techniques similar to those already in use by populations in arid states.
In the Western United States, the Colorado River has been a source of conflict for neighboring states and cities. Since 1922, the river’s water has been proportioned between seven U.S. states and Mexico. However, 1922 was a year of an unusually high flow rate. When water rights were allotted, entitlements were based on estimates that exceeded the average annual rate of flow. Today, all right holders cannot use their total amount of allotted water especially because of the eight-year long drought that has affected the Western United States. In order to respect older water rights, Western cities have long used conservation practices, and water consumption is constantly measured to ensure that no user takes in more than their allotment. Even so, very rarely does water reach the Gulf of California, meaning Mexico's water rights are often ignored.
In the late 1990's California took more than its annual allotment from the Colorado River. Amid the lawsuits, one of the most powerful water agencies, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, scrambled to find a water solution that would allow farmers to continue growing their crops while providing water to the state's population. The farming town of Palo Verde has the oldest water rights on the river, and the water agency needed the water. The agency began paying Palo Verde farmers for their water, based on the number of acre-feet left fallow. Water was shipped from the town to areas that were in greater need.
As freshwater sources are depleted, alternatives become more feasible. Desalination is currently being used throughout the world to reduce ocean water salinity to levels acceptable for human use and consumption. Unfortunately, because desalination is dependant on location, the cost remains high and is considered as an alternative only when water sources are not available. Another water alternative that has gained recognition is the reuse of gray water. Water previously used in showers or washing machines is diverted before it enters the sewage system and is reused, often for watering lawns. In Las Vegas, gray water is often used in fountains and other decorative uses of water so that drinking water is not wasted. However, gray water may pose health dangers if contaminated water is applied. Water transport, as in the case of Palo Verde, increases water costs and is subject to loss through evaporation or spills.
Had water conservation practices or the use of alternative sources been implemented sooner, Atlanta could have avoided much of the deterioration of the water supply. Unfortunately, water conservation is currently the only approach that Atlanta is taking to address the problem. Even in areas dedicated to finding new water sources, the most significant problem still remains. Despite the lack of available water, unbridled development continues. Atlanta resident Mel White comments that, "There's no thought being given to infrastructure and water now that we're in a severe drought... these things are not being thought about when they approve building permits. It can't go on like this forever." According to the Census Bureau, of the 10 fastest growing counties between 2005 and 2006, nine were located in the arid west and southwest, areas that draw water directly from the Colorado River. Water is essential to life, but the more lives there are, the less water there is.
