Our Planets Disappearing Drinking Water
76Scarce Drinking Water
Do you take your drinking water for granted? Water companies deliver it daily. It's inexpensive and readily available - but for how long?
Beautiful Canada
97% of world's water is not drinkable!
How much have you ever thought about water? We take it for granted every day, assuming it will always be there when we need it. Did you know that most of the world’s surface water is locked up in the oceans as salt water? 97% of our surface water source! Only 3% of the world’s water is freshwater. As the Earth’s population continues to grow and expand the search for freshwater sources is ongoing whether existing, recycled or desalinated.
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Elakala Waterfalls Swirling Pool, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia, USA
Mega cities could affect our water future
Beautiful waterfalls one day may cease to exist because of unforeseen climate changes or worse, the encroachment of mankind in the form of mega cities, greedy for water sources.
By estimation, it is considered that by 2025 over half of the world’s countries, mostly developing ones, will be vulnerable for a water crisis.
Beautiful Smoo Cave Waterfall, Scotland
Nonprofit groups help provide safe drinking water worldwide
Fortunately, there are organizations like WaterPartners International which is a nonprofit group from the USA. They are committed to providing safe drinking water and sanitation in these developing countries. Former American President Bill Clinton is involved working to bring donors and local communities together to achieve this goal.
State of Washington, USA
Over a billion people are in peril
In America we have already witnessed decades of increasing drought for the West coast, notably beautiful California. Excessively dry conditions have lead to severe wildfires, endangering the large city populations. Part of the East Coast, whole lakes evaporated to bone dry, is now trucking in drinking water to metro areas like Atlanta, Georgia, once lush only two decades ago. Life is changing for millions.
Almost 20% of the world’s population lacks access to safe drinking water. That’s about 1.2 billion people are in peril, according to The United Nations estimates.
Wicklow Waterfall
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Agriculture consumes most of our drinking water
In today’s modern economy, agriculture consumes about 70% of our precious freshwater resources. How is that so? Freshwater is used as a solvent for many chemical substances and also facilitates industrial cooling and transportation.
Niagara Falls at night, New York, USA
What happens as the glaciers melt?
The freshwater on Earth is only 3%. Did you know that about two-thirds of that 3% is frozen into the North and South polar icecaps and many glaciers? With those ice caps now melting and dissolving into the salty oceans, how much further does that reduce that percentage? Much of the freshwater is underground. Only 0.3% is surface water in the form of naturally occurring lakes and ponds as well as man-made canals, ditches and reservoirs! The numbers keep getting smaller and smaller and yet societies planet-wide continue to take water for granted.
City water geysers - state of Pennsylvania, USA
Where is most of the world's drinking water located?
Did you know that the Great Lakes in the Midwest region of America and LakeBaikal in Siberian Russia, the world’s deepest lake, contain seven-eighths of the surface freshwater in the world?
Waterfall Palenque, Mexico
Lake Baikal, Russia called "Living Water."
The waters of Lake Baikal have long been considered both medicinal and spiritual, called “living water.” The lower depths of all the other deep lakes in the world are dead because they are asphyxiated by gases. Yet the wonderment is that Lake Baikal’s depths are literally blanketed in fresh oxygen.
There are thermal springs coming up from the bottom of the lake bed. Scientists speculate that the release of hot, oxygenated water from those underwater vents may explain why the water is not dead at the deepest depths like in other lakes. The past five years they have discovered the water from the underwater vents is mixed by two horizontal currents as well as the rising and falling of additional vertical currents so that aquatic life can thrive in the deep.
The famous Lake Baikal
Russia’s Endangered Lake Baikal
Here’s an informative and interesting short video about the largest freshwater lake in the world and how global warming and industry toxins are affecting it.
Scientist discusses Lake Baikal
Scott Falls, Michigan, USA
Ongoing struggle of poverty and water
While desalination is available as a technology to change salty ocean water into freshwater, it is currently an expensive solution. Why? It generally involves an expensive and specialized infrastructure, unattainable by the poorest countries. It also requires large amounts of energy to produce - either using fossil fuels or nuclear energy - which is far more expensive in comparison to freshwater supplied from rivers and lakes.
State of New York, USA
Nuclear reactors and desalination plants
Russia, India and Japan already have nuclear reactors in use, linked to desalination plants, to create drinkable water. Japan alone has eight such sites. Though perhaps controversial in parts of the world there are those proponents that argue nuclear energy can produce large amounts of drinkable water and then transport it inland for hundreds of miles by pipeline.
Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland
Where is the world's largest desalination plant?
The world’s largest desalination plant is located in The United Arab Emirates. It can produce about 2500 gallons of water per second.
The largest desalination plant in the United States, located in Florida, only produces on the level of 12% output of the world’s largest one, desalinating about 25 million gallons of water per day since 2007.
Worldwide there are just over 13,000 desalination plants. They collectively produce more than 12 billion gallons of water a day.
State of Oregon, USA
Science, politics, water and you
Not to be overlooked is the highly concentrated waste product from this process to produce good water, usually called brine, as it is classified as industrial waste. Usually, at a coastal plant it is disposed of back into the ocean - provided it does not exceed the ocean’s natural salinity. The problem arises when the salinity is well above what the ocean can accept as it can kill filter-feeding animals.
It is an even greater issue when further inland and disposal into existing freshwater supplies from aquifers, rivers and ponds would be ruined. Currently, the general practice is to dilute the concentrate with another stream such as the outfall of a wastewater treatment plant or power plant that empties into the ocean. Scientists are continuing efforts to research improved solutions.
No matter what country we live in, our jobs, our income, our lifestyle, our religion or our politics, water will continue to be a valuable resource. Do what you can to protect your local water resource, monitoring and improving your local standards to insure everyone’s health.
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Bond Falls, Michigan, USA
Water is humanity's common heritage
Do what you can to support good water usage and promote awareness of this precious resource so that abundant water remains for us and the generations to come. Humanity shares one thing common to us all: water!
Our water is precious!
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Great pictures and good hub.
We do have the resources to create all the drinking water that we need but it costs money. How much drinking water and alternative energy sources could have been created and run with the 1.5 trillion dollars that the government threw at the bad banks and financial industry in general.
I wrote a hub about creating a national aqueduct to share water across the country. Other ways to get drinking water, desalinization plants, cleaning up our sewer water for any number of things. reverse osmosis is expensive but it can do the job of making clean drinkable water.
It doesn't get any cheaper to wait for tomorrow to implement the technology.
Incredible and powerful hub Denny! Awesome message and pictures that tear at one's heart strings to even think they may be disappearing...
In California it's a widespread practice not to flush unless necessary - saving those 8 gallons each time. Here in Georgia, there seems to be an attitude that nomatter how often we hear on the news that there's a problem, we can still flush - so let's. Sad but true.
Hi, readabook, thank you for visiting! There really is so much beauty around us that we easily take for granted - until - one day it might not be there in such abundance. Well, at least we have it recorded on digital. Let's hope future generations will be able to enjoy nature as we do today.
Yes, very nice photos and great topic...CA, AZ, and GA are states I know have water shortages. especially one particular part of GA
Having lived in NM for 12 years, I understand water shortages. The water table has dropped so far that whole towns have dried up. Water shortage is a real danger if we continue as we do!
I loved the pictures, I want to move to that lake in NY!
Hi, issues, thanks for visiting! A national aqueduct, impressive idea! Why not pitch it to the Obama team soon? This country has been in a hole financially, disorganized and purposely disconnected when it comes to the country's infrastructure, little patch works here and there, no overhaul or modernization. And the politicians wonder why suddenly things are falling apart - like whole bridges. We have to start some time and it might as well be now. Pres. Carter tried to warn us back in the late '70's but the public was tone deaf. I think we "can hear him now!"
How about to learn to drink the water that is available? With all its imperfections?
Denny
The government is only concerned about taking money in and not putting it out. The National Highway System was started by I believe President Eisenhower. You would think that some of the trillions that the government is throwing away could be used for other than executive bonuses.
There are a lot of toll bridges and highways back East that are unsafe because none or not enough of the toll money goes in to maintenance.
I agree with you now is as good a time as any to start building the country's infrastructure back up again.
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Misha
That might be possible, if everyone had medical coverage to treat the results of their body's intolerance to all the crap that is in the water. Even bottled water is sometimes less safe than tap water. Their is a lot of contaminated water that is already getting to our food sources and making people deathly ill.
Second, the important thing to remember is that the West and Southwest parts of this country don't have enough water to go around, period.
Can't live without Water...A very good hub my dear and I do hope people try harder to conserve our water...Even a dripping faucet can be such a waste...plug up your tub or sink when you have a drip and see how much water is wasted...then use it to water your plants...don't just pull the plug...Thanks sweetie...G-Ma :O) Hugs & Peace
Issues, how about not living where there is not enough water?
And in most places water is not THAT crappy, unless you have a big farm or polluting plant around. And if we stop polluting, water will get back to quality pretty soon :)
OK, I am waaay behind on the commenting, apologies ALL!
Hi, SEM Pro, thanks for visiting! Used to live in Atlanta area 15 years ago and even then Lake Lanier (major water source for the area) was drying up. Now it's completely dried up. Must be weird with all those high dollar homes sitting on the edge of a mud hole now. Getting water trucked in to Atlanta and people STILL don't get it??? That calls for a "Good Grief, Charlie Brown!" Are they crazy?
Hi, ocbill, thanks for stopping by too! You are always welcome! With the long California drought a person has to wonder how many other states will be experiencing the same and for a longer time than just a season or two.
Hi, k@ri, (clever name) thanks for visiting! Haven't lived in New Mexico so will have to imagine, still I would think folks there are quite adept at water usage. Trying to recall that Sci Fi book series and later mini series movies about a desert planet and sand worms... anyway, it was a real exercise in how to think about water in desperate situations. Hopefully, it won't come to that for America. One thing is for sure, we will adapt as that is our culture. It just would be so much easier if we would all get on the train now and get in front of the problem rather than wait to let it blow up in our faces.
Hi, Misha, thanks for stopping by! You raise a good question. This generation of Americans does have the bad habit of whining and a refusal for sacrifice if something isn't perfect.
The reality is that there is little oversight or agreement on water standards in this country, basically hit or miss, some areas great, some horrendous. It isn't so bad when water tastes crappy; it is bad if it has lead in it and the like. Bush raised the lead and arsenic levels allowed in water among other things. It really made me wonder where his brains fell out - that decision affected his children as well.
What I'm concerned about are a few things: we have had a higher incidence of autism, allergies, asthma and the like in young children. Could be our chemically saturated society, could be what's gotten into our water. Who knows? It has to be a common denominator affecting millions.
Our infrastructure has not been properly addressed in 50 years or more and we can no longer sit around and pass the buck to the next kids coming along. Who knows what will happen to their health. Time to get tough on ourselves and quit whining and actually do something. It never is the right time to spend the resources of money and mental energy so it's best to just get on with it.
As the daughter of a cavalier polluting chemical engineer I know only too well how callous industry can get about the health of others - worshipping at the altar of money. Once, as a kid, I asked my father about how many chemicals had been invented and how many antidotes for them (hoping for an about equal ratio). Answer at the time: about 30,000 toxic chemicals created and less than 3,000 antidotes. Not a happy picture of wisdom in science or society.
Yes, you are right, left alone for a long period of time, the water will right itself. The problem is to get people to quit interfering with the process because they have some selfish agenda that harms us all.
Hi, G-Ma, thanks for visiting! You are so right! Until you get to the hardware store for that simple washer to fix the leaky faucet, go get a bucket and let it fill over time with water for those thirsty plants! Have done that a few times and felt terribly proud of myself, even when living where water was not scarce.
Whew! I think I'm finally caught up with everyone! Thanks for your patience and fabulous comments. Keep 'em coming!
Hi Denny - Thanks for this important information. I live in the "if it's yellow, let it mellow" flush routine out here in California. This from you presentation blew my mind:
The world’s largest desalination plant is located in The United Arab Emirates. It can produce about 2500 gallons of water per second.
Will we one day be dependent on them for water as well as gasoline? Interesting.
Hi, Joan, thanks for visiting! The product "K-Boom!" is great for dissolving mineral deposits. Folks worry about not flushing enough as for stains on the porcelain and this product handles that quite well. In the summer months, if worried about bacteria levels, can use bleach tablets - though a person better make sure that toilet is always flushed at least once a week as the bleach can build up in strength in the sitting tank water and compromise the seals. That's why it isn't wise to leave a bleach tablet in the toilets of a house up for sale. So glad a real estate agent friend informed me of that little tidbit!
As to the Arab world and their desalination plant - they are a desert country. Of course, have you ever tasted or bathed in former salt water? Pretty awful stuff but doable. When we traveled to Santorini, Greece, we first encountered a place that was completely dependent upon desalination for drinking water. Surrounded by the Aegan Sea but little drinking water because of the arid climate (about 28 inches of rain for the whole year according to the winemakers I interviewed - on that little bit of water they made loads of wine even for export).
America has got to get serious about re-establishing its manufacturing base, re-hiring its own workers, and most of all, get serious about building up and repairing the infrastructure: drinking water, energy companies fractured networks of delivery and getting off oil for cars. Japan has just created a car that runs only on a bottle of water - no gas required! Hello! Is Detroit listening?
One of the first smart moves Obama made was to fire the GM CEO. On CNN they show a disgruntled arrogant Chevrolet dealer in Denver railing against Obama for firing such a nice guy. The reporter was weak as rain water. What he should have said is this: "So, you think that the President, who is now responsible for 80% of the company of GM, was not smart to fire a CEO who, under his tenure, had lost 96% of the value of the company?" Any other company CEO who did that would have been hung from the nearest tree by his investors.
CNN interviewed an arrogant fool who IS part of the problem as car dealers are as notorious for mistreating (read that as cavalier about honoring the pay they promised) their employees as they are liars to the customers. The car industry desperately needs to be unionized from top to bottom, not just on the factory line. The auto industry should have been downsizing for the past 40 years as various models fell out of favor with each upcoming generation who didn't want to drive their grandparents' car. Had they gradually downsized they would never have found themselves in this position.
Boy! You sure got me going this morning, Joan! :) Now exiting my soapbox...
Joann, so sorry to have misspelled your name! Usually I'm pretty decent at getting a person's name spelled right... oh, well, recovering pollen head misses the occasional important detail. Apologies. How we spell our name is so personal and we ought to get it right, ya think?
Don't you think that the government is responsible for the resources like water and power for its citizens? Aren't these resources a National Defense Issue as well?
Hi, IV, tried to get here to answer you yesterday and the web slowed down to molasses! Wednesdays are supposed to be the busiest day globally, well, I believe it now... Today is slowing down too and it is only 10 AM my time so I guess I'd better make this quick. :)
I agree with you this should be a National Defense issue. You only have to read a small amount of ancient history to learn battles and wars were won or lost because the populace ran out of water or was cut off from their water supply.
Besides, it isn't going to hurt us to get serious about higher water standards and conservation. BTW, could you send me your hub link to the one you wrote about a national aqueduct? Feel free to leave your link here for others to read. Thanks for the re-visit, you are welcome any time!
Denny Thanks for your comment and thanks for asking about the National Acquedut hub. http://hubpages.com/hub/Does-the-country-need-a-Na
There is another hub that I did on water.
nice picture. i love it
thanks
Hi Denny, Nice to see water here. When I lived in South Carolina, I often heard about Atlanta wanting to divert water from the Savannah River to their place. With the growing population and changing societies throughout the world, water will remain an issue.
Hi, jj, thanks for visiting! Pictures really do tell the story...
Hi, Cliff, Used to live in Atlanta metro area and it was going dry then but the main water source, Lake Lanier, was still full. The area was getting drier and hotter every summer. Such a shame as a beautiful area and the most forested metro city in the nation. Atlanta is able to continue growing into a mega-city in the way of land as nothing to stop it - except a viable water source!
very nice hubs, awesome pics and description too, keep on writing some more like this...
Hi, prettydarkhorse, thanks for visiting!
What concerns me is if due to global warming glaciers melt and sea level rise, then there would too much water- the salt water, again not fit for drinking.
Moreover the coastal areas around the world are at a risk of going under the water.
Can you think of any solution?
Hi, cleanclover, thanks for visiting! Solutions? Hmmm... we could all quit fighting wars and pool our combined resources to solving the problem for starters. But then I'm a practical sort and don't have much patience for coddling destructive people whose actions can easily destroy the rest of us.
While all this is happening slowly the world needs to get serious about beginning the move to higher ground as our ancient ancestors did and start developing new cities and agriculture at new altitudes - especially if no one is willing to work on the problem on a global scale.
It may take 200 years before we see whole countries submerged - which seems like a long time and not in our life time so who cares is often the attitude - but I'm a big fan of long term planning and caring about what happens to other people besides just thinking about my own needs. We could also start building desalination plants at higher altitudes for future use.
Since there seems to be no detailed scientific institutional memory of what happened, we don't know for sure if all the water will be salt water. There are vast underground rivers even under wasteland deserts and we may have to devise a way to get at those fresh water supplies.
There are a lot of unknowns which is why it's so important to quit squabbling on this planet and get down to work to save us all from future hardship.
Like any large generational problem it's going to take a number of solutions applied simultaneously to solve the issue. The biggest hurdle right now is convincing people to care enough about each other to start working together. After that the rest is easy! :)
The thing that always strikes me about water shortages is that much of the world is also experiencing floods from too much rain and most of this freshwater is not stored or piped where it is needed. I used to watch it in the UK - every year we had floods and later on in the summer there was often a drought and bans on water usage. Why, oh why are not more and better reservoirs made I always used to think and still do?
What a great hub! We tend to take the most precious resource we have so much for granted and we don't collect and store what is given to us. Fabulous pictures too - thanks!
Hi, Bard of Ely, I'm with you on watching the floods and left scratching my head as to a lack of will to do the obvious. Thanks for visiting!
Hi, Shalini Kagal, so true that we all need to get more serious about appreciating what we do have and then take measures to safeguard it for everyone. Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Hi Denny, Im sitting in the South-East of England on a wet November day, and as Bard of Ely commented earlier, I can't help wondering why all this rain can't somehow be captured and put to good use, instead of which, the news is full of flood warnings, and the local fields look like lakes. Fabulous pictures BTW
Hi, Amanda, you are probably the 1st to get to see the newer fab photos I found today on flickr! Odd, it's raining here in south Louisiana today where we regularly experience flooding - as only about 25 feet above sea level - and that's "high" for around here. :) It really does make us all wonder about why we are not putting all that wonderful fresh water to better use. Maybe we all should start a dot org to get folks organized and get the ball rolling - or the rain barrels to catch that water...
Great pics, and even beter information about our fresh water supply. Keep up the great work.
Great Info, Beautiful Pics and Beneficial Read!
I really like this article. Makes me want to give it to those I preach about watering the yard less, get rid of the grass and put in xeriscape landscaping and taking less 30 minute showers. The way some complain about there water bills. Thanks for presenting this issue before us.
Stunning pictures to match a great read. You bring up so many facts, and even in the comments for this story in discussing the chemicals invading the planet...it is scary to consider everthing we are doing...thank you for writing this and sharing the beautiful pictures.
my dad says china is buying up fresh water, just to let you know. he works for the DNI
Our University of Alabama patented personal solar desalination product (U.S. Made) uses no electricity, can be taken anywhere and extracts pure water from any contaminated water source. It removes radiation, fluoride, salt, pesticides, bacteria, dirt and other contaminants from any water source.
freshwater DOT ecogreenenergies DOT com
Photo credits
Canadian forest and lake - Photo by Yogi @ flickr
Elakala Waterfalls Swirling Pool, Blackwater State Park, West Virginia, USA - Photo by forestgladesiwander @ flickr
Smoo Cave Waterfall, Scotland - Photo by subflex @ flickr
Water droplets closeup on autumn leaves - Photo by skedunk @ flickr
Wicklow Waterfall - Photo by Tambako the Jaguar @ flickr
Niagara Falls at night - Photo by bgilliard @ flickr
City water geysers - Photo by daveynin @ flickr
Waterfall Palenque, Mexico - Photo by zoutedrop @ flickr
Lake Baikal - Photo from Wikipedia
Scott Falls, Michigan - Photo by light2shine @ flickr
Crimson water reflections, New York - Photo by Lida Rose @ flickr
Gullfoss Waterfall, Iceland - Photo by o palsson @ flickr
Autumn water droplets, Oregon - Photo by TheMunkyHouse @ flickr
Bond Falls waterfall, Michigan - Photo by stott68 @ flickr
Dripping water faucet against red ground - Photo by Randy Son Of Robert @ flickr
readabook 3 years ago
What beautiful pictures you assembled. Motivates me to want to save water.