Archive for the ‘Water Shortages’ Category

“Together we dig in, for all we’re worth,” so says award-winning author and journalist Barbara Kingsolver in this month’s National Geographic’s special water issue, as she describes how the world’s water crisis does not discriminate between Australian farmers and migratory salmon.

“Fresh Water” takes a poetic and utterly sober look at the world’s diminishing freshwater supply. Even though the amount of water on the earth hasn’t changed since the age of the dinosaurs, variables such as drought, population growth and climate change now threaten our abundance and access to that water.

Kingsolver carries the reader on a journey from damp Appalachia to irrigation-happy Arizona to the Piura Desert, one of the most arid regions on the planet, reminding us that if we have access to ample fresh water today (nevermind indoor plumbing) we are one of the fortunate few.

It’s always good to see cities planning ahead, especially in terms of drought management. Metro Nashville is no exception. On their home page, you will find a draft of their Drought Management Plan, a multi-staged approach to conserving water during especially long dry spells.

This plan advises everything from watering your lawn in the mornings to more aggressive measures like adding a 300% surcharge to the price of water. Reading through the plan, I was glad to see that “public education will continue year-round to promote the wise use and conservation of water.”

As part of this education, I would argue that we need to offer incentives and rebates to encourage people to conserve water. Rainwater harvesting and gray water recycling are just two ways that people can cut their water consumption by 35% or more. After all, the less water we use today the more water we will have tomorrow, come rain or shine.

In addition to drought, population growth is one of the greatest reasons for water shortages in this country. Metro Nashville and the ten surrounding counties (commonly called the Cumberland Region) have experienced tremendous growth since 1960.

According to the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (TACIR), the greater Nashville area will have a population of over 2.3 million by 2030—in comparison to Nashville’s 1.6 million population today.

Offering incentives for residents to conserve water will hopefully be an integral part of the city’s urban planning. If not, where will this water come from? What happens if Tennessee is hit by another serious drought? Shouldn’t we answer these questions before the proverbial well runs dry?

This country’s water crisis hardly ever gets any attention in the mainstream media, but every now and then you get lucky and the issue appears on an award-winning show like Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show.” In this interview, Stewart talks with Robert Glennon, author of Unquenchable: America’s Water Crisis and What To Do About It.

Without explaining the interview away, I’ll just say that Stewart is his usual witty and sardonic self, lamenting the fact that it’s not easy to get most Americans to change their behavior. But isn’t that always the case? I’m just happy that we have folks like Jon Stewart (and his 2 million nightly viewers) who are starting to take notice.

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