WaterExploring solutions to growing water shortages
Most Americans do not pay much attention to how much water they use when they take a shower or when they water the grass, but Michael Sullivan, a global executive at IBM thinks this will change; “Water is a finite resource,” Sullivan told a panel in a conference on water policy; “What we’re dealing with is that there’s a finite supply, and as the population grows and industry grows, we’re stressing that finite supply”
Most Americans do not pay much attention to how much water they use when they take a shower or when they water the grass, but Michael Sullivan, a global executive at IBM thinks this will change.
“Water is a finite resource,” Sullivan told the panel. “What we’re dealing with is that there’s a finite supply, and as the population grows and industry grows, we’re stressing that finite supply.”
Kansas City InfoZine reports that speakers at a conference last week held by GrowingBlue pointed to the importance of the global demand of water, and the threat of serious future droughts. .
According to the National Geographical Society, by 2030 half the world’s population will live in areas where water is scarce.
In the United States, the western and Midwestern sections of the country are the most at-risk areas. Five states could be at the risk of water scarcity in forty years, according to data from the National Resources Defense Council.
The world’s population is around seven billion today, and it is projected to grow to eight or nine billion by 2050. Now researchers are trying to figure out ways to conserve water before the problem becomes even more acute.
“We are at the dawn of a very important era,” chairman and CEO of Environmental Financial Products Richard Sandor told infoZine.
A subject that was floated around at the conference was pricing water, an idea which Sandor favors.
“If you can grade it, you can trade it.” Sandor told infoZine.
Mary Keeling, manager of the Center for Economic Analysis at IBM, said pricing water may concern some Americans, but the idea will benefit water conservation. “There’s a huge fear of having a national water policy, but you’ve got to have some leadership there,” Keeling told infoZine
The Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) in Nevada has found a way to use 36 billion gallons of water less than it did ten years ago although the population has increased.
“We are able to capture and recover virtually 100 percent of indoor water,” senior public information coordinator J. C. Davis told infoZine. “So if it goes down a drain, we capture and recover it at almost 100 percent efficiency.”
The water is treated at a plant then goes back to the customer. The LVVWD also influences families to maintain low water levels by giving out rebates and coupons as a reward.
Many homes in America have meters that monitor water usage, but most of them work on a once-a-month basis. Keeling suggests “smart meters” which would track usage every fifteen minutes; he argues that this, would be a much better idea, and Sullivan agrees.
“The more readings you take, the better you can understand patterns of use, the better you can detect if leaks happens,” Sullivan said. “If the only reading you get is once over 60 days, you’re not going to notice it until your bill comes,” Sullivan told infoZine.
The LVVWD’s meters track usage on a monthly basis, but if a customer has a high bill at the end of the month, a warning is issued to the customer, who could be fined if their usage does not decline.
