America's Drinking Problem

America’s Drinking Problem

December 1st, 2007 by ROBERT STEIN

Residents of a county that calls itself the American Riviera will start drinking sewage today. Recycled, refined and filtered through aquifers, but still…

The Orange County Water District in southern California will turn on the world’s largest plant devoted to purifying sewer water. The process, called by proponents “indirect potable water reuse” and “toilet to tap” by the dubious, will be getting close scrutiny from authorities elsewhere.

Water shortages have been making news this year, not only in California, but Florida, Georgia and across the country. The federal government projects that at least 36 states will face shortfalls within five years from a combination of rising temperatures, drought, population growth, urban sprawl and waste.

The problem is universal. A UN report has predicted that more than half of humanity will be living with water shortages, depleted fisheries and polluted coastlines within 50 years.

New technology may ease the problem, but awareness and conservation will be required, even more so than with global warming, where changes in public behavior can do only so much to help. (For a start, we could re-think excessive lawn-watering, car-washing, etc. with tap water that might be used for drinking rather than environmentally damaging bottled water.)

“The need to reduce water waste and inefficiency is greater now than ever before,” says Benjamin Grumbles of the Environmental Protection Agency. “Water efficiency is the wave of the future.”

We had better all drink to that.

Cross-posted from my blog.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 3:00 am and is filed under United Nations, Environmental Issues, Water, USA, Global Warming, Technology, Health, Domestic Programs. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

2 responses about “America’s Drinking Problem”

domajot said:
December 1st, 2007 at 11:09 am
The first predictions that the next wars will be fought over water are years old.

States and local communities will have to lead on this, like so many issues of national imoortance,
because Washington is busy with political wars.

Of the many crtical challeges, water really should be among the most important.

It’s good to have brought this to our attention.
Rudi said:
December 1st, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Maybe the governor of Georgia needs to pray more. All those Color Revolution leaders could meet in Atlanta…

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