Water Resources: A Concern For Us?

According to Water Partners International, approximately 1 billion people lack potable drinking water. The result is disease, illness and in cases death. When we go to our faucets we fully expect that the water will run freely and it will be safe to drink. However, there are practices in the United States that may change that expectation for some. The link I have provided is a NY Times article about "water banking" where farmers negotiate with city or county governments for the rights to siphon off water to reserve in case of drought etc. In some areas this means that local residents may find that the water tables are adversely impacted and they could find themselves with out water. So what does this mean for you? With climate change, early melts, rapidly moving water sources and the like, this kind of water banking may become more and more prevalent, which means that we have put a proprietary cost on drinking water. It is important that we think about the long term impacts of such practices and how we might fortify our infrastructures to be able to provide clean drinking water to citizens while preserving the agricultural industry.