Part III – Water and You
In 1992, the International Conference on Water and the Environment overwhelmingly ratified an agreement stating that water is not a public resource: it is a commodity. This position was again reinforced at the World Water Forum in 2000. Since then, water privatization has been promoted worldwide (Rothfeder, 2001).
Water privatization is not just happening in developing countries. Suez Environnement is a French company that controls, maintains, and distributes water in over 120 different countries on five continents (Suez Environnement, 2008). In fact, private companies run much of the United States’ water systems. Although we live in a developed country, many places in the United States are running out of water. For example, in October 2007 Georgia declared a state of emergency as water resources declined (State of Georgia, 2007). This is not just an isolated incident; projections indicate that by 2025 the city of Atlanta will be completely out of water (Rothfeder, 2001). This highlights the limited availability of this valuable resource and tells us that we need to be careful with our water consumption. Although the cause of these conflicts may differ in various parts of the world, the consequence is always the same: water is running out everywhere. In fact, the Former Chairman of the World Water Commission, Ismail Serageldin, predicts that “the wars of the twenty-first century will be fought over water” (deVilliers, 2001).
Questions
What percent of the world’s water is available as fresh, drinking water?
What factors are responsible for the decline in freshwater worldwide?
The average American uses 480 gallons of water per week. Using the following table, calculate your own water consumption.
Activity Water Loss* Number of Times/Day Total Gallons Used/Day Total Water Use/Week Hand washing 1 gallons/min Showering 2 gallons/min Bath 50 gallons/tub Brushing teeth 1 gallons/min Flushing toilet 3 gallons/flush Laundry 10 gallons/load Dish washing by hand 5 gallons/load Drinking water 1/16 gallons/glass TOTAL (*Data from the USGS. Note that some quantities are provided on a per minute basis.) Do you think it is necessary to reduce your water consumption? For each category listed above, what would you do to reduce your water usage? Are these realistic solutions?
Use your total water consumption per week to calculate your annual usage. (Hint: One year has 52 weeks.) Since the national average for water is $2.81/1000 gallons, use the median U.S. salary from above to determine how much money you will be paying for water. Do you think this number represents the true value of water?
How would you communicate what you’ve learned today to your peers?
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