All About Water

The health of our ocean is critical to the health of our planet. Our planet depends upon the ecological processes of a healthy ocean and the resources that the ocean provides us. Unfortunately, for much of history our perception of the ocean’s seemingly infinite vastness and abundance has led us to mistakenly believe that our actions will not significantly impact the oceans. While the ocean is vast and abundant, human impact nevertheless threatens ocean biodiversity. Most governments do not adequately protect marine environments. We have focused our conservation efforts on coastal and near-shore areas, but the open ocean still remains vulnerable to pollution. Some areas of the ocean, such as the open ocean and the deep sea, are not regulated by any government agency. Because of the excessive pollution of marine waters, ocean biodiversity is in great danger.

Ocean biodiversity is the variety of marine organisms present in the ocean and the ecological processes that sustain their lives. The ocean’s biodiversity provides us living resources that are critical to our economic and cultural systems. For instance, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service, sixteen percent of the animal protein that humans consume comes from marine organisms; the fishing industry brings in around $80 billion dollars’ worth of fish each year.

The value of ocean biodiversity transcends economic worth; the oceans perform functions critical to our planet’s ecological health and stability. The ocean stores carbon, regulates atmospheric gas, cycles nutrients, and treats waste treatment. Studies indicate that the living resources of the ocean are severely threatened, but because scientific knowledge of marine organisms and their ecological processes is limited, the consequences of the loss of these living resources cannot be fully understood.

There are many different disturbances to ocean biodiversity, like fisheries, chemical pollution, eutrophication, invasion of exotic species, and plastic debris. Plastic debris comes from many sources, such as from fisheries, ships, and world-wide littering. Often land-litter leaks into rivers that eventually run into the ocean. Fishing operations also threaten the oceans upon which they depend. Fisheries annually destroy sixty billion pounds of by-catch sea life. This destroyed by-catch sometimes includes protected species. Furthermore, fisheries’ equipment often destroys marine organisms’ habitats.

Why are the Glaciers Melting?

Also known as “climate change,” global warming is accelerating the rate of melting glaciers. In a nutshell, this occurrence takes place when the release of gases such as methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (Co2) enter the atmosphere. Although these processes are natural, the burning of fossil fuels that contain these substances increases the rate of release exponentially; as a result, the gases become trapped in the earth’s atmosphere. Putting added pressure on the ozone layer can cause even more radiation to become trapped in this “protective shield,” thus causing the melting of glaciers at unprecedented rates.

A Work in Progress

Numerous scientific studies continue to build on information gathered in the 20th century and apply new technologies to validate previous claims. ScienceDaily offers relevant information on melting glaciers, stating that the occurrence of worldwide glacier shrinkage is a prime indicator of global warming. A multitude of environmental and scientific organizations concur with this statement

Weather Patterns, Global Landscapes, and Human Impact

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, projected climate change over the next century will further affect the rate at which glaciers melt. Average global temperatures are expected to rise 1.4-5.8ºC by the end of the 21st century.” A degree or two may not seem like much, yet on the whole, the global impact of this phenomenon may end up in the redrawing of geographical maps. Disproportionate weather conditions such as drought and flooding will become commonplace, and as the melting glaciers continue to recede, the melt-water can have a significant impact on low-lying coastal areas, which will eventually be submerged under water. Documentation from the World View of Global Warming indicates that the runoff from the melting glaciers in Asia and South America may severely alter the life support systems for billions of people.

Consequences

Melting glaciers, in excess, reduce the world’s fresh water supply. Many developed cities depend on glacier runoff to help sustain healthy ecosystems. As coastal areas diminish, populations will have no choice but to seek higher ground. As the ozone layer depletes, harmful radiation penetrating the atmosphere will likely cause an increase in different types of cancer and perhaps create new forms of disease.

 

 

There are growing amounts of evidence that concern many environmentalists around the world, our major river systems are drying up. Some scientists blame this phenomenon partially on global climate change, others blame humans.

Some of the major river systems with rivers drying up include the Ganges, Nile and Amazon river basins. In the Americas, there is growing concern that the Colorado river basin is drying up too. Paradoxically, some scientists believe that the Mississippi River is swelling and now holds more water than it ever has, another potential victim of climate change.

The number of rivers drying up all around the globe is of major concern to us all. Rivers drying up include the Nile, Congo, Euphrates, Danube, Volga, Amazon, Brahmaputra, Ganges, Rio Grande, and possibly the Colorado. This places these river basins in danger. Researchers have gathered data from over nine hundred rivers over a fifty-year period ending in 2004 that shows a shrunken water flow in each of these river basins.

Many point to global climate change as the reason for rivers drying up around the globe, but human influence cannot be ignored. Humans use water in every part of their lives, in industry, food production, everywhere. We cannot ignore the impact of our water usage when considering the reasons for rivers drying up. Human population growth causes increased demand for water. We are draining our own rivers.

Many feel that water conservation does not provide much relief to our water issues.  This could not be any farther from the truth. If everyone pitched in, we could impact water demand and help our globe in a big way. Rivers drying up is a global issue, one that we can address at home by conserving water whenever we can. We can help by washing only full loads of dishes, using environmentally friendly landscaping, waiting to wash our cars until absolutely necessary, installing low-flow toilets, and shortening our showers. These techniques can all help conserve water and thereby stop our rivers from drying up. 

Most of the flow of groundwater occurs through permeable rock, sand and gravel, most notably sandstone and limestone. This is the primary source of the flow of groundwater, and is therefore responsible for wells and below-ground water resources. The convenience of locally available water and the difficulty and cost of public plumbing has made exploiting the local flow of groundwater increasingly popular. This is especially true in states with heavy annual rain, such as Wisconsin, New Hampshire and Washington.

Groundwater usage has become increasingly important to industry. Water-heavy industries are common in modern chemical and high-tech computer production. Water is essential for cooling and developing such projects, and pumping groundwater lets industries avoid many of the costs associated with using a municipal water supply. These savings make groundwater usage very popular.

Conservation of Groundwater

The increased use of groundwater impacts local lakes, rivers and aquifers, and is therefore carefully regulated and restricted, especially in western states where the water supply is limited. Since any withdrawal from the flow of groundwater will affect the availability of water elsewhere, withdrawals must be carefully monitored and regulated to prevent overflow. Many underground aquifers replenish very slowly, especially in areas of low rain levels. Ancient aquifers, especially those located in the desert, may take hundreds or even thousands of years to replenish; excessive pumping areas like Nevada, California and Arizona has led to significant decreases in the amount of water available there.

Domestic Usage of Groundwater

However, small-scale wells have little effect on the overall water table and are becoming increasingly popular in residential areas. While one must nevertheless take care to avoid groundwater contaminants, especially septic tanks, the natural flow of groundwater does tend to remove particulate matter and microbes.

An Endangered Resource

Of course, this does not mean that this water is wholly pure. In many cases long-term industrial pollution has made the groundwater unsafe to drink. More recently, the process of natural gas extraction known as “fracking” has been linked to incidents of natural gas seeping into and dissolving into the flow of ground water, making the resulting liquid undrinkable and potentially flammable.

You’ve installed the low-flow toilets and faucets, switched to Watersense appliances, fixed the leaking plumbing and started washing dishes by hand. But are there any other ways to save water? Although the kitchen and the bathroom compose a great deal of water use, water conservation at home involves other areas of the home as well.

The laundry room is an excellent place to continue optimizing water conservation at home: washing clothes uses up tons of water, especially if you have a large or active family. In an average-sized family, the washing machine composes twenty-one percent of monthly water use. Saving water while doing laundry doesn’t have to mean scrubbing clothes in a tub with a washboard, though. Instead, run full loads. One full load of laundry uses less water than two smaller loads. Invest in a new, high-efficiency washing machine; doing so can save up to forty gallons of water per load. Move your laundry from the washing machine to the dryer promptly to avoid having to rewash a load.

Check Your Pipes

Well-insulated water pipes keep water warmer so that you won’t have to spend as much time waiting for the water to “run hot.” Insulating pipes is simple to do and doesn’t require hiring a professional. You can purchase inexpensive, pre-slit insulating foam for pipes at your local hardware store. Wrapping the pipes will also keep them from freezing and bursting in the winter, which can do major water damage throughout the house.

The Yard

Water conservation at home should include water conservation in the yard as well. Are you pouring gallons and gallons of water into maintaining a lawn? Consider replacing parts of your lawn with alternatives that require less work and less water, like a flower garden blooming with native plants. Consider your sprinkler systems. Make sure to angle your sprinklers efficiently, so that water won’t wasted running down your driveway. Try using a drip irrigation system. Don’t water the yard when the weather is taking care of that for you. Check outdoor spigots for leaks.  Finally, remember that over-watering can harm plants and waste large amounts of water.

The Car

Do not wash your car at home. Water is wasted as it runs constantly from the hose. Additionally, all the runoff (which contains soap and wax and any chemicals that have built up on your driveway) runs right into storm drains and, quite possibly, into local streams and waterways. Use a local car wash instead; the water there is recycled and re-used over and over again.

When you live in a developed country where clean, potable water comes out of the tap whenever you want, it’s easy to take a luxury like clean water for granted. In many parts of the world people must carry water over long distances. Over one billion people currently do not have access to clean drinking water. Efforts are being made to help support the people in those countries.

Who is Carrying Water?

Half of all rural households in Africa do not have easy access to potable water. In places like Ethiopia, carrying water for the family is primarily the job of the women and children, who must often be carrying water on their heads and shoulders in large jugs that can cause shoulder and back injuries over time. Families may travel miles to retrieve river water that may not be suitable for consumption. Then they carry the water–enough to drink, cook, and wash with–back. Some villages have hand pumps, but these may only work intermittently and are difficult to fix once broken. Sometimes private water carriers bring water to homes, but this service charges a fee that many people cannot afford.

How are These People Being Helped?

Many charitable organizations and non-profits devote money and resources to helping people who do not have easy access to drinking water. These include UNICEF, WaterAid, Charity: Water, World Concern, The Water Project, Global Water, Operation Hydros and our friends at water.org .

Some of the projects involve services like digging wells and establishing water pumps, or building spring protection systems, rainwater catchment, and biosand filters, or rehabilitating previous water systems that are no longer in good repair.

How is Water Transported Around the World?

Technological advances are being made for communities that still rely on carrying water from the source to help make that job easier. One of these advances is the Q Drum, a rolling barrel that is filled and then pulled along with a cord. The Q Drum has been used successfully in Africa, and was recently used during the cholera outbreak in Haiti. Another successful advance is the “Pumpkin,” a device that is worn like a shoulder bag and can carry up to 15 liters of water. The tubes in this device also act as a filter.

What is the Best Way to Help People Gain Access to Water?

The best solution to the problem of carrying water varies, depending on one’s location. One must take into account variables like climate and geography. In some communities, a good solution is providing a working hand pump. In others, a good solution is providing a way to collect rainwater and keep it from sinking into the ground. Traditions die hard, and some families insist upon continuing to travel long distances for water. In these cases, a device that eases the task of carrying water will be the most helpful.

If you want to make a huge difference in others’ lives, you can get involved. Volunteer with or donate to a charity that helps provide clean drinking water to communities in need.

In 2000, the United Nations created the Millennium Declaration, an eight-point development agenda designed to improve the human condition throughout the world by 2015. To support the Millennium Declaration Goals (MDG), the United Nations established the Millennium Project.

Water factors significantly into Goal Seven, which is to ensure environmental sustainability. The plan for Goal Seven calls for the number of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation to be halved by 2015. Water also factors significantly into Goal One, the elimination of poverty. The World Water Development Report points out: “Problems of poverty are inextricably linked with those of water–its availability, its proximity, its quantity and its quality. Improving the access of poor people to water has the potential to make a major contribution towards poverty eradication.”

According to the 2010 MDG report, most of the advancements toward reaching the water goals have been made in rural areas: the gap between clean water access in underdeveloped and developed areas is narrowing. However, this accessibility gap widens significantly when we consider households with piped water: twice as many people benefit from piped water in the city than do in the country.

The most progress toward meeting MDGs was made in East Asia, where access increased by 30% over the reporting period. Water access in Sub-Saharan Africa improved 20%; however, still only 60% of the population there can access water. In Oceania, where only 50% of the population can access water, there was no progress toward reaching water goals.

Some of the difficulties in meeting the MDGs include pollution from man-made and naturally occurring sources and the difficulty of measuring water quality. However, according to the World Health Organization, the world will meet or even surpass the drinking water goals by 2015, with nearly 1.7 billion people having gained water access since 1990. By that time, roughly 86% of people in developing regions will have gained access to “improved sources” of drinking water, sources defined as protected from outside contamination. These sources include piped household connections, protected wells and springs, public taps and boreholes.

Northern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Asia and South-Eastern Asia, have already met the water goals.

There are many smart ways to avoid wasting water in the yard. Many of these allow you to creatively choose the materials and plants that your yard will showcase.To minimize the use of water in the yard, one should consider native and alternative plants, the use of non-living materials for ground cover, synthetic grasses, and watering methods, including rainwater systems; all these things will enhance water conservation and contribute to a more interesting yard design. 

Synthetic Grass Alternatives

The common over-planting of grass contributes to our water bills and depletes our local reservoirs and aquifers. Fortunately, through technology we have developed some incredibly life-like synthetic grass products. Gone are the days when one could immediately spot synthetic grass in a front yard. Modern synthetic grass comes in a variety of authentic colors and non-fading dyes. Its realistic grass structure will beautify any size yard. Synthetic grass can be used in patches or beside pathways. These “grasses” allow the rain to filter through, minimizing standing water in the yard after a rain. Synthetic grasses also eliminate the need for mowing.

Wood and Stone Mulches

Wood and stone mulches come in a variety of earthy colors and can be touched up with fade-resistant, spray-on dyes that will keep them looking fresh, delaying replacement. Mulches can be used around plantings or as a ground pattern to enhance other structures, such as walkways or patios. They can also be used to contrast other ground coverings. Mulch reduces evaporation, meaning that your yard and soil will be able to retain water more easily.

Drought-Tolerant Grass

Many grasses are drought-tolerant, and new hybrid varieties of grass offer more options in areas in which it is geographically difficult to grow grass due to heat, humidity, and low precipitation. These hybrid grasses stay healthy and green in areas where sufficiently getting water in the yard has been problematic.

Plant Trees to Increase Shady Areas

Water in the yard evaporates more quickly in direct sunlight, due to heat. Trees, even small ones, can reduce moisture loss by shielding the plants and grass. Tree roots generally go deeper than those of other plants, so water in the yard is reserved for plant roots that are closer to the surface. This reduces the amount of water in the yard that you must expend.

Planting Native Species

Plants that have acclimated themselves to specific areas generally require no more water than that obtained through normal rainfall in their native area. This allows water in the yard to be redirected to other areas that might require more attention. If an entire yard is designed according to this kind of xeriscaping, little or no watering will be required to keep it healthy.

Combining various methods of conserving water in the yard not only helps preserve water, but reduces water bills, waste, and insect infestation.

What are Native Plants?

Native plants are the flora that evolved naturally within the local ecology (together with animals, fungi and microbes) to create the local ecosystem. Native plants are the foundation upon which the rest of the ecosystem is built. Indigenous plants provide food and shelter for local wildlife and do not force out other species that belong in the local ecosystem. Non-native plants can harm the local system, becoming invasive and forcing out or harming other local plant or animal life.

How Do Native Plants Save Water?

Native plants are adapted to local conditions, including rainfall. Whereas a non-native species may come from a more tropical climate, requiring daily watering, a local plant should never need watering beyond what is naturally provided, unless the season is unusually dry.

How Can I Learn Which Plants Are Native?

A little research on the Internet should quickly answer this question. Use a search engine with your location (for example, Pacific Northwest or New England) and search for “native plants.” Most regions have a local native gardening society that can help you decide what to plant. You can also take a walk in a local wildlife area, though not necessarily a park, as that may have been planted with imports. Observe what is growing naturally. Use a notebook and a camera to capture plant life that has caught your eye.

How Do I Purchase Native Plants?

Visit a local nursery. Avoid the large, big-box home improvement stores; instead, browse small, local businesses. These are usually run by people who know their stuff and are eager to share it with interested listeners. Another bonus of gardening with native plants is that you will also save a lot of money on products like soil, pesticides and fertilizer. Native plants are already adapted to local conditions and have evolved to withstand local insects and diseases.

Tips for Planting and Cultivating Native Plants

• Visit your city or state’s local website. These often contain information that can help you choose plants indigenous to your region. Your local library is also a great source of this information.
• Choose your native plants carefully, making that you aren’t planting native weeds!
• Local wildflowers are beautiful and can make a yard look like a cottage garden with minimal effort.
• Get rid of your grass. Grass is rarely a native plant and requires a lot of work, water, fertilizer and time to be kept green. It is also acts as a desert to local wildlife, as it does not provide any sort of sustenance or shelter. Plant a flower or vegetable garden instead.

How to Save Water in the Bathroom

Bathroom water use accounts for a staggering 75% of the average household’s water consumption; the average toilet accounts for about 40% of this bathroom water use. Older toilet models use five gallons of water per flush. For the sake of efficiency, consider replacing your older toilet with a newer low-flow model. Many new toilet models use less than two gallons per flush.

Showers also offer many opportunities to save water. When showering, turn off the water while soaping or shaving. Shorten the length of your showers and take them less frequently. You can also replace your shower-head with a more efficient model to save water.

How to Save Water in the Kitchen

The kitchen is also an important source of water usage. The amount of water used to wash dishes can be easily reduced. If you are using a dishwasher, wait until you have a full load of dishes before running the machine. Before putting dishes into the dishwater, consider scraping them clean rather than rinsing them. If you are washing dishes by hand, fill a basin with warm soapy water and another with rinsing water. Use this water to wash and rinse your dishes rather than turning the sink on and off for each dish. You can also wash your produce in a bowl of water, rather than rinsing it under a tap.

How to Save Water in the Office

The average office uses 14,695 gallons of water per day, so it is important to consider water usage in your office as well as in your home. The tips mentioned in the kitchen and bathroom sections also apply to your office, but in your office you can include your co-workers or employees in your conservation efforts. Email your employees the aforementioned tips about how to use less water in the office bathrooms or kitchen. Be sure your office plumbing is leak-free and report any leaks to maintenance.

Other Ways to Save Water

Your laundry room is another easy place to save water. As with your dishwasher, wash only full loads. This saves up to two thousand gallons of water per year.

Landscaping too can be done properly with less water than most realize. When deciding whether to irrigate your lawn, dig a couple inches under the surface to feel if the soil is moist. If moist, wait another day before watering your lawn.

Using a variety of practical solutions like the ones above, you can save a tremendous amount of water.