I was listening to VPR a few mornings ago on my way to work. There was a story about water, well, really, the lack of water in the southeastern U.S. Areas such as Georgia, North Carolina, and Alabama. Check out this map from NOAA to see where the extreme drought conditions are taking place.
Anyway, what I found completely disturbing, yet intriguing, about this story was that folks in the south are still concerned about their lawns! Yep, their lawns and landscaping. A level 2 drought response allows for lawns to be watered on alternate days of the week. However, a level 4 response calls for a complete ban on outdoor water usage. You’ll see a list of rules and exceptions here. During a level 4 response, you are still permitted to water food garden. Whew.
So, many folks, those who can afford it, are drilling for wells so they can access water for their landscaping. Even though drawing from irrigation wells affects the height of the water table, only now are states looking to impose bans on the creation of these wells.
The next time that you throw a glass of water away, think about this… We’ve known for quite some time that, in the future, water will pose a problem for most of humankind. Instead of oil, water will be the focus of most war.
To learn more about global water issues, you might want to check out some of these books from our library:
Plan B: rescuing a planet under stress by Lester R. Brown.
Who’s Water is It: the unquenchable thirst of a water-hungry world edited by Bernadette McDonald and Douglas Jehl.
And, there are many excellent titles that can be found at the other VSC libraries. Just go to the library catalog and type in the phrase water supply.
