Where's The Water?

Everyone knows of the lack of water in arid areas like Los Angeles, CA and Las Vegas, NV. But what about Lincoln, NE? Cleveland, OH? Miami, FL? Washington, DC? San Antonio, TX? If you didn’t think these cities would be at risk for water availability, you might be surprised.  All of these cities are on the list of 11 US cities that have dramatically higher water usage than replenishment, according to NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) 2013 study. 

A recent article in the online magazine Water Conditioning & Purification (January 2014) outlines the global supply and demand and how these cities suffer the effects of their water demands.  Only a small fraction of the water used in the US (0.4 percent) is used for drinking.  Flushing toilets account for 27 gallons per person per day!  While we may want to believe that fresh clean water will always be available, many deficiencies in our water supply may be disguised in at-risk areas.

“Water-stressed regions frequently suffer from multiple economic and public health adversities, including food and water quality issues,” states the wpconline.com article.  Many water-stressed cities receive their water from locations that are many miles away, and it may travel in open canals or waterways that are subject to many levels of contamination.

The Huffington Post also wrote about the risks for these 11 cities, citing the CIRES report and additional sources.  If you live near or in these cities, you may want to begin looking at your water usage.  For the health and safety of yourself and loved ones, consider using a point-of-use water filtration system to ensure the quality of the water in your home.  You may want to begin talking to your neighbors about what conservation efforts may be in place in your area.  It is going to take awareness and action by all of us to change the trajectory of these vulnerable cities.

#Miami #WashingtonDC #SanAntonio #SaltLakeCity #Lincoln #Atlanta #SanFrancisco #ElPaso #Houston #Cleveland