In California, the water year ends every September 30. The rainy season begins again in November. In an overview of water conditions from 2021, the state reported California was suffering the driest winter in at least 100 years. Specifically, 2021 marked the third year of extreme drought, the most severe drought condition. The report also claimed:
The water year that ended September 30 was also the second driest on record due to extreme heat and lack of rain and snow.
All 58 counties in California are now under a drought emergency proclamation.
Throughout the state of nearly 40 million people, water utility companies were telling residents they must reduce water consumption dramatically. For those residents that did not hear the call, the utility companies would take over, forcing a reduction to offenders.
But then something unexpected happened. By January 2023, the state’s water condition had changed dramatically. What is now referred to as a series of atmospheric rivers drenched the state virtually from top to bottom. And this continued into April. According to Benji Jones, a reporter for Vox News, the state pivoted “from extreme drought to extreme floods.”
This has led to a chorus of California old-timers, who have been through many droughts before, to say, “I told you so.” In their experience, extreme drought conditions eventually end. They may not pivot as dramatically as has happened recently, but they do end. And when droughts end, people typically stop thinking about water — or water shortages. Water is once again abundant; there is plenty to share, so concerns are now out of sight, out of mind.
However, according to water activist Mina Guli, we forget that “water is everything, and we treat it as if it is worth nothing,” especially when it is so plentiful. While we may not have treated it as “worth nothing,” what is correct to say is that for decades, concerns about water and the availability of water in the U.S. have been minimal. It’s always been there when we needed it, even during water shortages.
But here is what we are ignoring: billions worldwide lack adequate access to clean water — and the crisis is growing. While conditions have improved due to some government interventions, the problem is expected to only worsen in many parts of the world — including the U.S. — due to climate change, global warming, and population growth. And right now, according to an April 2023 report by the Council on Foreign Relations, “a paucity of international coordination on water security has slowed the search for solutions.”
The report quotes Georgetown University’s Mark Giordano, an expert on water management and water scarcity issues. “[What’s really happening] is a scarcity of financial and political wherewithal to put in the infrastructure [needed] to get people clean water.” In other words, we are not addressing the issue because, once again, concerns about water are not top of mind.
Can we continue down this path?
Many have concluded that water stress — the lack of dependable, readily available freshwater — will soon devastate public health and international economic conditions. This deprivation can spur several transmittable diseases that can impact not only the water-stressed areas of the world but globally. Diseases such as cholera, typhoid, polio, and hepatitis A all typically increase when water is scarce. Malnutrition, especially among children, increases stunting (impaired growth) and wasting (low weight for height/severe weight loss). Water scarcity also makes agriculture much more difficult.
Waterless Co, Inc. believes the days of putting water out of sight/out of mind are over. Water stress will have global repercussions that many believe may even result in wars. It’s time to put water center stage, where it belongs.
Waterless Co., Inc is a pioneer in water efficiency. We are the go-to company when it comes to reducing water consumption, understanding the many benefits of waterless urinals, and finding ways to use water more efficiently. For more information, contact a Waterless Co Specialist.
