Opinion

We're running out of water

When I took my oldest daughter to college for the first time, I was struck by the number of students I saw lugging bottled water into their dorm rooms, case after case. Wasn't tap water good enough for these kids, I wondered? Why pay $2 a bottle for something that I always thought of as free?

Of course, water has never been free, and we take it for granted at our peril. Envision a future when a $2 bottle of water will seem cheap, when water scarcity drives up its price, leading to mass suffering, riots and, quite possibly, water wars. In parts of the world, this is already reality. The fact is our planet is in danger of running out of potable water faster than we realize.

According to data collected from NASA and the World Health Organization, 4 billion people will face water shortages by 2050. Already in China, water levels in the Yellow River -- a source that supplies more than 150 million people -- are down 33 percent from the average. In China's cities, wastewater pollution and inadequate treatment facilities have contaminated the water consumed by more than half the population. Of its 669 major cities, 440 face moderate to severe water shortages. The Chinese government -- desperately seeking solutions -- calls the water shortage a social, environmental and economic crisis.

The crisis in China has global implications. Its agricultural industry has been nearly crippled by groundwater contamination, making the Chinese dependent on grain supplies from the West. If the Chinese population continues to grow, the demand for grain could cause global shortages and rising prices.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where the population grows by more than 2.6 percent each year and severe drought affects the supply, less than 70 percent of water needs are met. The same is true in India, where all 14 major rivers are polluted and drying up. The United Nations deems dirty water a leading cause of death for children under age 5, responsible for the deaths of more than 1.8 million children every year.

Across the world, deadly conflicts already rage over water. The Global Policy Forum cites conflicts from China to Africa, India and the Arabian Peninsula -- and the problems are expected to escalate. In a 1995 statement, a vice president of the World Bank, Ismail Serageldin, asserted, "The wars of the next century will be about water." Organizations from the United Nations to the CIA have warned against the dangers of a looming water shortage.

If Americans think water shortage is a problem that only affects less developed nations, they are in for a shock. The Colorado River -- once a mighty force through the Southwest -- no longer reaches the ocean. During the summer months, the Rio Grande disappears from its bed for nearly 200 miles, coming alive again only when it meets the Rio Conches. The water from these rivers keeps golf courses green and water fountains flowing, but their supply diminishes every year. And the effects will be felt sooner than we think. Southwestern states will face threatening shortages as early as 2025.

Just as people are starting to wake up to global warming, it's time to wake up to the related challenge of finding solutions to an impending water crisis.

What can be done? Unlike oil or natural gas, for which alternatives are being created and tested in labs around the world, water has no equal and no alternative. Our bodies and crops will accept nothing else, and we cannot manufacture more.

Our supply will literally dry up if we don't take action to protect it. Water efficiency is our only option.

Drought, overpopulation and pollution are all contributing to the water crisis, but so is water waste and overuse -- two factors that can be mitigated through better water efficiency practices. In the United States, an average household could save 30,000 gallons per year by combining conservation practices with water-efficient products. This represents a savings of 24 percent of total household water use.

As it turns out, saving on household water use is great news not only for the environment, but also for our bank accounts. According to the California Energy Commission, moving, treating, consuming and heating water accounts for 19 percent of the state's electricity and 30 percent of its natural gas use. If we reduce our use of water, we essentially limit our use of gas and electricity, reduce carbon dioxide emissions and lower our monthly utility bills.

Landscapes are the single largest consumer of non-agricultural water, and are typically over-watered by 30 to 300 percent. Property developers who use smart technology to automate irrigation report collective savings of more than 200 million gallons of water each year, representing an estimated $350 million in annual cost savings.

These potential savings have caught the attention of the government and prompted new legislation. Many Western municipalities now deny building permits to developers unless their plans incorporate water-saving technology. Assembly Bill 1881, enacted in California, would require irrigation controllers sold in California starting in 2012 to meet strict water efficiency standards. The California Energy Commission plans to develop water-saving standards for irrigation controllers and moisture sensors by January 2010.

Government mandates are part of the answer, but the real power lies in free market innovation. Companies that find solutions to this urgent problem stand to grow and benefit. Developing or adopting clean technology can be a means to drive higher profit margins and cut expenses -- all while helping to protect the environment for future generations.

For our planet's future, we have to safeguard and make intelligent use of our water. We have an opportunity -- and a moral obligation -- to develop, use and invest in technological solutions that reduce water waste.

The water shortage crisis -- a close second to the global warming crisis -- needs to be at a higher level of awareness for our population. We assume water will be there forever, but that's not the case. We can no longer take it for granted. We have to put our best thinking, energy and resources into finding solutions while we still can.