Water_Conservation_in_the_United_States

Conservation of Natural Resources 23 November Water is the source of life and people far too often take it for granted. There is not nearly as much water in the world as people think there is and with population growing at a rapid pace, there will soon be none left. This is especially true in the United States, where we use much more water as the rest of the world. The average American uses about 150 gallons of water per day. In other developing nations in Africa for example, the average person uses less than 2 gallons, and not all of their water is even safe. This sad fact proves how much of the water we use is not necessary. There is no doubt that there is enough fresh water on earth for everyone even with populations rising, the biggest issue is simply that there is poor management and use of the water that we have. Some people literally have the bare minimum while others are using up way more than they could possibly need. Water is an important resource that people use too carelessly; if people in future generations are going to have it as available to them we need to start monitoring our use much more carefully. There are many reasons for us to start monitoring our water use and a great need to realize how serious the situation is. The world has a very small supply of fresh water and needs to be careful with how it is used. With the population possibly reaching ten billion people by 2050 (World Population Data Sheet), and our water sources already dwindling there is serious need to be more careful. About three-fourth's of the Earth's surface is covered by water. Much of that portion, approximately ninety-seven percent, is ocean water which humans cannot drink because it is too salty. The other three percent is fresh water. Two percent of that water is frozen in the form of glaciers, icebergs and other objects. The remaining one percent of fresh water is found in streams, lakes, and rivers. This is the type of water that humans can consume but also like to waste. There is also a shortage of water that we can water our crops with. So much of the water that is processed and filtered is being wasted and farmers are noticing a lack of water for there land. People expect the things they have always had and if they don’t see an immediate cause for concern then an issue like this could easily go unnoticed until it is too late to do anything. A lot of our energy is also derived from water as well; we rely on freshwater so much but don’t care to protect it. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the average American uses between 140 to 160 gallons of water per day. This is a very high demand given that only one percent of the Earth's surface is adequate water for human beings to consume. So much of this is being wasted since we also know that people in other developing countries use less than 5. The worst part is the people that are so low on water have even greater issues. According to some researches, one out of every six individuals in the world do not have access to clean, drinkable water. In developing nations it is very easy for someone or something to contaminate a great amount of water. Due to the high intake and Earth's increasing population, the number of people who lack safe drinking water will rapidly increase unless people start conserving water and monitoring use more carefully. In California, Mono Lake is the best example of why water needs to be conserved. In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began using water from the 350 some odd streams that flow from the lake. Because of this, the half of the water that once filled the lake is now gone, and the saltiness doubled. This caused the ecosystem to rapidly deplete. David Gaines was an ordinary man who was upset by what was happening, and decided to do something about it. Gaines decided to inform people in his community, speak at school, and come together with conservation organizations to do something about this appalling matter before it was too late. Unfortunately, he died in an accident, but people continued to follow what he started and since then, Mono Lake has slowly being restored. Although the water levels are still incredibly low, the evaporation of this great mass may have served as an eye opener to many people who saw this beautiful lake slowly disappear. Other apparent bodies of water in the U.S. where the conservation of water is strongly being preached, are the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes contain about 6 quadrillion gallons of freshwater, making them carry one-fifth of the world's freshwater. The Great Lakes are responsible for supplying 95 percent of freshwater to consumers the U.S. and 84 percent of the freshwater contained in these lakes, is distributed amongst the continent of North America. Water levels in the Great Lakes have been fluctuating all throughout history starting in the 1930s with the Dust Bowl, and a drought in 1964, making the water level extremely low, and in 1986, water levels rose to the recorded highest levels that they've ever been. Unlike Mono Lake however, the Great Lakes aren't only being conserved because of human impact, but because of natural changes as well. The three major factors that are also causing water levels to decrease are precipitation, evaporation, and runoff. According to the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, between 1997 and 2007, water levels had been consistently low, especially in the year of 2007. Between 2008 and 2009, water level a started to increase up until an ice jam dropped and once cleared, raised levels in February 2010; since then, levels have been slightly below average. In March 2009 about 10,000 workers marched and protested the lack of water for the third year in a row. People are also trying to build a new canal around the delta that would bring water to Central and Southern California. This conflict between Norcal and Socal is a big problem that needs to be addressed. According to Achim Steiner, director of the U.N. Environment Programme, “Water will ... become one of the defining limits to human development and a compounding factor in human misery”. Basically as water sources dwindle lifestyles will shift from the easy-going carelessness we currently exhibit to a harsher battle to find clean water. This example of the San Joaquin River Delta is a small but very relevant example of this issue. Approximately 25 million people receive their water from the delta as well as a large amount of farming land. The delta levees protect the main delta from saltwater from the San Francisco bay and other pollutants. Lately the delta has been running dry which has caused much concern for many farmers and other people. In 2009 the workers finally decided it was time to do something about it and since then much progress has been made. One recent advancement in water conservation has been seen in the Great Lakes region through the cooperative horizontal federalism approach. This compact allows states to make up their own environmental laws based on their necessities but they have to talk to neighboring states before making changes. The race to the bottom conflicts with the fact that laws should be for environmental protection. It also reduces commercial challenges as it allows for a more structured legal system. The new compact instituted in the Great Lakes region allows these eight states to regulate what is known as the world’s largest freshwater resource. The Great Lakes makes up “ninety-five percent of the fresh surface water in the United States and twenty percent of the world’s supply.” About 40 million Americans and Canadians rely on this freshwater to live. Especially, Michigan, also known as the Great Lakes state takes great pride in the Great Lakes. This state also heavily relies on the lakes to support the region’s manufacturing, tourism, and agricultural industries. This is “collectively valued at $438 billion (U.S.) per year.” Thus, the cooperative horizontal regulation is important especially in the Great Lakes region due to its boundary issues. Since this is no longer only a United States issue the federal government alone cannot be responsible for this environmental regulation. Consequently, combined action between states is necessary to ensure that the water of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Basin be conserved. This compact along with the sustainable water resource agreement have moved the Great Lakes water conservation project from regional supervision, to active environmental protection. Although state action should still be considered for environmental regulation, the cooperative horizontal federalism approach should be used increasingly. Water conservation is addressed within the Great Lakes Agreement through differing actions, such as the concept of return flow, which states that all diverted water must be returned to their source. This lowers the chances of lakes or rivers evaporating over time. As a result of these improvements, restoration of the great lakes is taking place. However, degradation of these waters has not been addressed as frequently, as practical issues have risen. These issues mainly concern the costs of the new policy proposal, and the concept of improvement, since measuring this can be difficult. Thus in 2001 a committee, known as the Water Management Working Group was formed to aid in the resolving of these issues, and promote the restoration and proper environmental policies. Through these negotiations the previously mention compact was formed in 2004. The two biggest questions concern how much is considered an improvement and how much improvement would be enough to satisfy the people making the contract. Because of these two concerns the role of the Improvement Plan was not as substantial. This plan was not designed to undermine the importance of federal law but is just another option to protecting our precious environment. Fresh water comes from rivers and lakes and is collected from ground water, aquifers and the atmosphere. Although the earth is covered in water it is still not in that great of an abundance when it comes to fresh water. There are simple ways for us to preserve our resources and it is important for the development of future populations that we be more careful now. There is enough water in the Great Lakes alone to last us a very long time but with poor management of it we could soon see not only a drop in water level but animals that are having trouble surviving because of the changing environment. Water conservation serves to benefit everyone and is a simple and easy way to protect the earth. The fact that there are some people living off of a mere 2 gallons of water a day just goes to show how much is really needed for one person. Unless peoples eyes are opened to the real situation and the dangers the earth may face in the future nothing will change. There is no easy way to convince people to start monitoring their water use but it will be imperative if our society will continue to live the way it has. Works Cited Burt, O.R., 1964. The Economics of Conjunctive Use of Ground and Surface Water. Hilgardia 36(2):31-111. Caswell, M., E. Lichtenberg, and D. Zilberman, 1990. The Effects of Pricing Policies on Water Conservation and Drainage. American Journal of Agricultural Economics 72(4):883-890. Noah D. Hall, Toward A New Horizontal Federalism: Interstate Water Management in the Great Lakes Region, 77 Colorado Law Review 405 (2006). Huffaker, R. and N. Whittlesey, 2000. The Allocative Efficiency and Conservation Potential of Water Laws Encouraging Investments in on-Farm Irrigation Technology. Agricultural Economics 24:147-160. Dziegielewski, B., H.P. Garbharran, and J.F. Langowski, 1993. Lessons Learned From the California Drought (1987–1992): National Study of Water Management During Drought, IWR Report 93. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, District of Columbia. Ward, Frank A., and Ari M. Michelsen. "Barriers to Water Conservation in the Rio Grande Basin." (2006): 1-38. Print. Weiser, Matt. "Water Controversies Boil Over." Sacramento Bee 27 Apr. 2009. Common Dreams | News & Views. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. . Huffaker, R. and N. Whittlesey, 2000. The Allocative Efficiency and Conservation Potential of Water Laws Encouraging Investments in on-Farm Irrigation Technology. Agricultural Economics 24:147-160.