All are essential, but naturally the purpose of this site is to discuss water.
Water is a common chemical substance that is essential to all known forms of life.
Water is of major importance to all living things. In some organisms, up to 90 percent of
their body weight comes from water. About 70 percent of the human body is water. The
brain is composed of 80 percent water, and the lungs are nearly 90 percent water. About
91 percent of your blood is water. Blood is crucial because it helps digest food,
transport waste, and control body temperature.
Your body must replace 5 pints (2.4 liters) of water every day. You replace some water through
drinking and the rest your body takes in from the foods you eat. Without an ample water
supply on earth, you couldn't exist. Water's unique qualities and properties make it
essential to life. The cells in your body are full of water, and the ability of water to
dissolve so many substances allows your cells to use valuable nutrients, minerals, and
chemicals in biological processes. Water truly is the key to life.
The surface tension water produces the "stickiness" property of water that plays a
crucial part in our body's ability to transport these materials throughout the body.
Water in the bloodstream transports the carbohydrates and proteins that your body uses as food.
Of equal importantance is the ability of water to transport waste material out of your body.
The earth has about 1,460 teratonnes (Tt) of water.
Water moves continually through a cycle of evaporation or transpiration,
precipitation, and runoff. In the past, this runoff usually reached the sea,
but that statement is less true today.
Winds carry water vapor over land at the same rate as runoff,
about 36 Tt per year. Over land, evaporation and transpiration contribute
another 71 Tt per year to the precipitation of 107 Tt per year over land.
Water in lakes form the biggest source of fresh surface water and providing
fresh water for life on land. Clean, fresh water is essential to human and other life.
Many organic molecules as well as salts, sugars, acids, alkalis, and some gases (especially oxygen),
are soluble in water.
In many parts of the world, water is in short supply.
According to Fred Pearce, the author of the book When Rivers Run Dry,
it takes between 250 and 650 gallons of water to grow a
pound of rice, 130 gallons to grow a pound of wheat, and 65 gallons for a pound of potatoes.
The numbers become more staggering for animal products such as meat and milk. It
takes 3000 gallons to grow the feed for enough cow to make a quarter-pound
hamburger and between 500 and 1000 gallons for that cow to fill its udders
with a quart of milk.
Turn these statistics into meal portions and you come up with more than
25 gallons for a portion of rice, 40 gallons for the bread in a sandwich or a serving
of toast, 265 gallons for a glass of milk, and 800 gallons for a hamburger.
Click
here to hear Fred Pearce on NPR (12/4/07).
In the past, most of this water come from rain which watered the crops.
This source of water was extremely cheap. More recently, particularly with the
growth of large cities, we have increasingly come to rely upon dams,
reserviors, and other major water projects for our water.
When the water to grow crops or to supply urban areas is collected from rivers or
pumped from underground, water becomes more expensive. Furthermore, the diversion of water
to fields and cities will empty rivers and underground water reserves at an ever-increasing rate.
And when the rivers and reserves are running low, it is ever more likely that the water simply will not be there to grow
the crops or to meet the growind demands of cities.
Economists call the water involved in the growing and manufacture of
products traded around the world "virtual water," a term invented by
Tony Allan, of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
In this terminology, every ton of wheat arriving at a dockside carries with it in virtual
form the thousand tons of water needed to grow it.
"The Middle East ran out of water some years ago. It
is the first major region to do so in the history of the world," says Tony Allan. He estimates
that more water flows into the Middle East each year as a result of imports
of virtual water than flows down the Nile.
|
The biggest net exporter of virtual water is the United States. It exports
around a third of all the water it withdraws from the natural environment.
Much of that is in grains, either directly or via meat.
Major importers of virtual water include Japan and the European Union.
Few of these countries are short of water. But for other importers, virtual water is
a vital lifeline. Iran, Egypt, and Algeria could starve without it.
Jordan effectively imports between 80 and 90 percent of its water in the form of food.
While many nations import virtual water their relieve their water shortages, some export water and
exacerbate their water problems. Israel and arid southern
Spain both export water in tomatoes. Ethiopia exports coffee. Mexico's virtual-water
exports are emptying its largest water body, Lake Chapala, which is the
main source of water for its second largest city, Guadalajara.
|
|
Dead Sea
1960 |
Dead Sea
2005 |
In recent decades, the Dead Sea has been rapidly shrinking because of diversion of incoming water.
In 1970, the elevation of the Dead Sea was 395 meters below sea level. Since then, its level has fallen 22 meters
to 418 meters below sea level in 2006. As a result, the Dead Sea’s water surface area has been reduced by one third.
The Dead Sea may never entirely disappear because evaporation slows down as
surface area decreases and salinity increases. However, ecologists fear that the Dead Sea may substantially change
its characteristics.
There have been several proposals for a canal or pipe to transport Mediterranean Sea or Red Sea water to the Dead Sea.
Such a solution, however, would likely change the chemical characteristics the Dead Sea's water.
The Dead Sea level drop has been followed by a groundwater level drop. Incoming fresh water dissolves salt layers,
causing brines that used to occupy underground layers near the shoreline to be flushed out by the fresh water.
This is believed rapidly create subsurface cavities that subsequently collapse to form the recent appearance of
large sinkholes along the western shore.
|
The trade in virtual water respresents only one aspect of the worldwide water picture.
The growing demand for water and the dwindling supply points toward increasing confrontation over
water. Pearce in his book When Rivers Run Dry states, "Whatever the virtues
of the global trade in virtual water, the practice lies at the heart of some of the
most intractable hydrological crises on the planet." The next war may be over water, not oil.
As countries and cities search for water, many have looked to the Great Lakes in the
United States. 
The Great Lakes are the largest surface fresh water system on the earth. The Great Lakes
contain an estimated 5,500 cubic miles (22,700 cubic kilometers) of water—a fifth of
all the liquid surface fresh water on earth.
They contain about 84 percent of North America's surface fresh water and about 21 percent
of the world's supply. Only the polar ice caps contain more fresh water.
|
Rep. Bart Stupak, whose district includes 1,556 miles of Great Lakes shoreline,
blew a gasket at the plan to divert Great Lakes water to Asia.
"Allowing the diversion of billions of liters of water from the Great Lakes would create dangerous consequences
for the Great Lakes region and the United States," Stupak said. "This permit could open the door for additional water
diversion opportunities, putting the waters of all the Great Lakes on the world market.
"We cannot afford to turn our Great Lakes into a tradable commodity."
|
The battle for fresh water from the Great Lakes is expected get worse as aquifers are
depleted in the United States. In April, 1998, the province of Ontario approved a permit
which would allow a company to take up to 600 million liters of water per year from
Lake Superior for the next five years—a total of 3 billion liters.
The Nova Group, based out of Sault Ste. Marie, Canada,
planned to pump Superior's water aboard cargo ships and sell it to Asia.
The permit was rescinded in response to strong objections raised by the Great Lakes
Governors and the general public.
Even cities near the Great Lakes are after its water.
In a reversal of history, residents of Waukesha, Wisconsin, who have used up much of their
mineral-rich water, are looking toward Chicago for a share from Lake Michigan.
A century ago, residents of Waukesha shunned Chicagoans.
The New York Times reported that in 1892, one speculator tried to pipe the Waukesha
water to Chicago, but the pipe layers were chased away by town residents with pistols,
pitchforks, and fire hoses.
One lady is concerned about the Great Lakes. Click
here to listen to her question for the
for the CNN/YouTube Republican Debate, which she posted November 11, 2007.
|
But about a century ago, the only thing people knew about Waukesha was its famous
spring water, bubbling up in large quantities from the earth.
The water developed a reputation for curative powers.
The claim by Col. Richard Dunbar in 1848 that drinking from the Bethesda Spring water
had healed him from his deathbed ended up sparking an era that led to a massive
migration of people and wealth to Waukesha. During the height of the springs
era—from 1868 to 1918—there were as many as a
couple of dozen springs being used to provide growing numbers of tourists the water
that was valued nationwide
Now, the same cities that once were dotted with tourist resorts have had to resort to
drilling thousands of feet into the earth just to hit a sufficient supply of water.
And in most cases, that water is laced with radium to such levels that exceed federal
standards.
What happened?
Bob Biebel, the special projects engineer for a regional water study being conducted
by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, explained it simply as
too many businesses, municipalities, and people punching holes in the ground to get at
the water as Waukesha County grew from Cow County, U.S.A. to a well-developed suburban area.
Like a straw stuck into a glass of water, all that withdrawal caused the water table
to drop so precipitately that wells went dry and many springs dried up with it.
|
Authorities who control the Great Lakes are not sure any of it should go to
communities like Waukesha, which is 15 miles from the lake's shore but outside of
its watershed. They fear that without strict rules on who gets Great Lakes water,
water-starved western cities will eventually knock at the door.
Their concerns are not unfounded.
The eyes of the the rest of nation, particularly the dry western states, are
turning their attention to the Great Lakes.
New Mexico Governor and Presidential
candidate Bill Richardson
implied that water from the Great Lakes could be
a solution for the arid regions of the west, noting the abundance of water in the region.
"If elected, Richardson said, he would bring states together to talk about a way for
water-rich northern-tier states to help with shortages in the Southwest," the Las Vegas Sun
reported in a story published October 4, 2007. The story went on to quote Richardson:
"I believe that Western states and Eastern
states have not been talking to each other when it comes to proper use of our water
resources. I want a national water policy. We need a dialogue between states to
deal with issues like water conservation, water reuse technology, water delivery and water production.
States like Wisconsin are awash in water."
Water Worries
It's not just the western states. The southeast, particularly Atlanta, is
clamoring for more water. The recent prolonged and exceptional
drought has exacerbated Atlanta's water worries.
Atlanta was founded far from any major river or lake. The metro area
had a population of 2.9 million in 1990 and 4.1 million in 2000, and
its daily draw on the water reserve was 320 million gallons in 1990 and
420 million in 2000. With 2 million more residents projected by 2030,
water use is expected to rise to more than 700 million gallons a day.
For its drinking water, Atlanta relies almost entirely on Lake Lanier,
a 38,000-acre federal reservoir in northern Georgia built in the 1950s.
Lake Lanier is now 13 feet below normal and dropping. But some people
have said that the drought is only partly to blame for that.
There is a lot of dry ground around Lake Lanier these days.
Georgia uses about 10 percent to 15 percent of the capacity in Lake
Lanier for drinking water. As Atlanta continues to grow, Georgia says
it makes sense to shift the lake's use toward drinking water and
away from its original purpose of producing hydropower.
Georgia secured an agreement in 2003 for rights to about a quarter of
the water in Lake Lanier with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
|
"To many observers —including neighboring states — the metro Atlanta region only has
itself to blame for its water shortage. Having mismanaged its growth into unbridled
sprawl, they argue, metro Atlanta now expects 'rescue' from everyone else who has water.
It's interesting how providing an adequate water supply is portrayed as in the interests
of public safety, until, that is, the 'public' is in metro Atlanta."
BENITA DODD, 12/06/07
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
|
But the agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which
Alabama and Florida claim is illegal, could soon be dissolved. A federal
appeals court is expected to issue a decision that could invalidate the
agreement—and change the dynamic of the decades-old legal fight.
Even Georgia supporters acknowledge that the state's case to get
nearly one-fourth of the lake's capacity did not fare well during oral
arguments in the fall of 2007 before the federal appeals court's Washington
circuit.
For the past 17 years, the lake and the water taken out of it have
been the subject of a lawsuit, and some are saying that with the
condition of Lake Lanier, it is time to settle the lawsuit and issues
like water taken from there to protect endangered mussels.
Cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Denver have ushered in water
conservation measures--including offering incentives, installing high-efficiency
toilets and low-flow shower heads, and increasing monthly water bills for big water users.
However, experts say Atlanta, which is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan regions
in the country, has been particularly shortsighted.
Atlanta is not the only city grappling with water shortages. In 2003, a Government
Accountability Office report on the nation's fresh water supply found that
36 states anticipated water shortages in the next decade.
California is one such state. In September, 2007, a federal judge in
California ordered protective measures for the
tiny endangered smelt fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, a mandate that
water officials said could cut by a third the flow of water to Southern California
from the north.
California's water shortages have convinced Orange County to build an ever bigger plant to reclaim
sewage for drinking water.
On November 30, 2007, the Orange County Water District opened a new facility for water reuse--the
Groundwater Replenishment System--with a $481 million price tag. Experts say it is the
world’s largest plant devoted to purifying sewer water to increase drinking water supplies.
The plant is a labyrinth of tubing and
tanks that sucks in treated sewer water the color of dark beer from a sanitation plant next door.
The water first runs through microfilters to remove solids and then undergoes reverse osmosis,
forcing it through thin, porous membranes at high pressure. It is further cleansed with peroxide and
ultraviolet light to break down any remaining pharmaceuticals and carcinogens.
The intense process to purify the sewage into drinking water is called “indirect potable water reuse” by proponents and
“toilet to tap” by the wary.
The plant is getting a close look in several cities, inclucing San Diego and San Jose.
South Florida and Texas are reviewing similar plans for the recylcled use of wastewater as well.
The finished product, which district managers say exceeds drinking water standards, will not flow
directly into kitchen and bathroom taps. State regulations forbid that.
Instead it will be injected underground, with half of it helping to form a barrier against seawater
intruding on groundwater sources and the other half gradually filtering into aquifers that
supply 2.3 million people, about three-quarters of the county. The recycling project will produce
much more potable water and at a higher quality than did the mid-1970s-era plant it replaces.
|
Recycled water, also called reclaimed or gray water, has been used for decades in
agriculture, landscaping, and by industrial plants.
And for years, treated sewage, known as effluent, has been discharged into oceans and rivers,
including the Mississippi and the Colorado, which supply drinking water for millions.
But only about a dozen water agencies in the United States, and several more abroad,
recycle treated sewage to replenish drinking water supplies, though none here steer
the water directly into household taps.
They typically spray or inject the water into the ground and allow it
to percolate down to aquifers.
Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, among the most arid places in Africa, is believed to be the
only place in the world that practices “direct potable reuse” on a large-scale, with recycled water going
directly into the tap water distribution system.
|
Click
here to hear NBC's story on using toilet water for tap (12/6/07).
The increasing pressure for more water and the dwindling supply raises the question of
what will be--or already is--coming out of the tap.
That is particularly relevant with privitization of municipal water sources.
Privatization of water systems is nothing new. Worldwide, an estimated 10 percent
of urban water supply is provided by private or mixed public-private companies,
usually under concessions, leases, or management contracts. The practice of
involving the private sector in municipal management has grown substantially.
A series of surveys conducted by the International City/County Management
Association between 1988 and 1997 showed that the service of water distribution by
private companies (operating under contract or as an investor-owned utility)
increased 84 percent.
These ideas were addressed in the cover story of BusinessWeek's recent issue of June 12, 2008. Susan Berfied describes how corporate raider T. Boone
Pickens "thinks that water is the new oil--and he's betting $100 million that he's right."
Pickens makes bottled water distributors look like small potatoes. He owns and controls more water than any other individual in the United States--some 65 billion gallons a year--and he wants even more. His object--to commercialize not just bottled water, but municipal tap water. He hopes to transport his water over 250 miles across 650 tracts of private property and sell to water thirsty Dallas. Hoping to make huge profits ($165 million from Dallas each year) from the increasingly scarce resource as growing numbers of people live in urban areas. Texas' unusually lax laws about pumping groundwater makes Picken's quest a strong possibility.
The rush to control water resources, however, is also gathering speed around the planet. In Australia, now in the sixth year of a
drought, brokers in urban areas are buying up water rights from farmers. Rural residents around the
U.S. are trying to sell their land (and water) to multi-national water bottlers like Nestlé. Companies that use large quantities of the precious resource to run their businesses are seeking to lock up water supplies. One is Royal Dutch Shell, which is buying groundwater rights in Colorado as
it prepares to drill for oil in the shale deposits there.
Private investors need to have a profit or they don't invest. There are only so many
ways to make a profit: lower the cost of materials (water), cut the number of workers and
cut the wages, or increase the cost to consumers.
An increase in water prices to fill coffers of private companies is not something that will appeal to the average consumer. "The idea that water can be sold for private gain is still considered unconscionable by many," says James M. Olson, one of America's preeminent attorneys specializing in water- and land-use
law. "But the scarcity of water and the extraordinary profits that can be made may overwhelm ordinary
public sensibilities." Private companies may end up lowering the cost of materials by secretly lowering water standards.
Public water utilities are not immune
from such pressures either. The issue then is--how will these
pressures affect your tap water?
Think of what you really need to just survive. Food? Water? Air? 
Typically, the word water is used to refer only to its liquid form
or state. However, water also has a solid state—ice—and a gaseous state—water vapor.
Water covers 71 percent of the earth's surface, mostly in oceans and other
large water bodies.
Saltwater oceans hold 97 percent of surface water,
glaciers and polar ice caps 2.4 percent, and other
land surface water such as rivers and lakes 0.6 percent. 
Some water is trapped for varying periods in ice caps, glaciers, and aquifers.
Of earth's water, 1.6 percent exists below ground in aquifers and 0.001 exists
in the air as vapor (formed of solid and liquid water particles suspended in air), and precipitation.
Some of the earth's water
is contained within man-made and
natural objects near the earth's surface such as water towers, animal and
plant bodies, manufactured products, and food stores.
You can see how water is distributed over the earth by viewing these bar charts.
The bar on the left shows the location of the earth's water. About 97 percent of all
water is in the oceans. While readily
accessible, oceans consists of salt water and the saline content makes the water unusable
without expensive desalinization. 
Only 3 percent of the earth's water is fresh water. The bar on the right shows the
distribution of the 3 percent of the earth's fresh water.
The majority of this fresh water, about 69 percent, is locked up in glaciers and icecaps,
mainly in Greenland and Antarctica.
Of the remaining fresh water, almost all of it is underground water.
At some depth, the ground below the earth is saturated with water.
Only about 0.3 percent of all the fresh water on the earth is contained in rivers and
lakes. Yet most of the water we use in our everyday lives comes from rivers and lakes.
The pie chart on the left shows that over 99 percent of all water is not available for
our uses. This water is located in the oceans and seas, frozen into glaciers and
other ice formations, has a saline content, or is in the atmosphere. Even much of the
remaining fraction of one percent (the small pink
slice in the top pie chart) is out of reach. Considering that
most of the water we use in everyday life comes from rivers
(the small light blue slice in the pie chart on the right), you can see
that we generally only make use of a tiny portion of the earth's water.
The pie chart on the right shows that the vast
majority of the fresh water available for our uses is stored
underground (the large brown slice in the pie chart on the right).