Water Resources: History and Potential Impacts

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Introduction

As nature has always been, man has remained selfish in all decision making processes and that is why he allocates more to the present time compared to the allocations he makes for the future generations. As of the present time, there has not been sustainable use of water in the whole world. Thus, with the increased use of water and the reduction of water flow and availability (due to global warming and unpredictable weather conditions) the world is headed to extinction if care is not taken or rather if a product which could compliment water is not discovered.

The overuse of our water resource has resulted in degradation of the environment we are living in; since we have been using water in higher rates than we can replace it. With the pollution and degradation of water being among the major challenges facing our water resources we need to find ways in reducing or controlling the challenges. Most people divide water resources into two i.e. the surface water resource and the ground water resource where each part is dependent on the other due to the hydrological cycle, as it is understood. Under the two subcategories lie the streams, lakes, wells, aquifers, reservoirs, and ground water among others.

An Overview of Our Water Resources over the Last 100 Years, Significant Changes, and Their Impacts on the Role of Water Resources

Over the last 100 years, drastic changes on how our water resources are used have been witnessed; with the increased use of water there have been changes in our water resources characteristics with the main attribute being quality and quantity.

Water Quality

The quality of our water resources depends on many factors that include but not limited to; flows, the rate and the timing of run offs, and the ability of water sheds to assimilate wastes and other impurities contained in water. With the increased water uses and environmental degradation higher flows of water reduces the pollutants concentration but can also increase soil erosion by removing the top layer of the soil, which is usually loosely held (Nolan, Ruddy, Hitt, & Helsel, 1988). The same thing can happen in the urban areas during a heavy down pour where more urban wastes are washed away and deposited in the water bodies or even in the underground water sources thus reducing the water quality at large.

When there are high flows during the hot season, there is reduced oxygen dissolving in the water thus diluting the impurities but supporting the growth of other water organisms that affects the quality. Water quality has also been affected by farming activities, for example, changes in the land use due to global warming like more spraying of farm crops increases the chemical concentration in the water with the final state of water being a polluted one (Kiparsky & Gleick, 2003). It is expected, in the United States of America, that due to global warming the number of polluted water resources will increase, heavy downpour will lead to mass carriage of sediments and outbreaks of waterborne diseases are also likely to be witnessed (Revenga & Mock, 2000).

As most parts of the United States depends on ground water for drinking, agriculture, and other domestic use the increased water demand is likely to deprive water resources due to the fact that the rate at which water is being drawn from them is higher than the rate the water resources can recharge themselves. The increased global warming has changed the normal water cycles. Over exploitation of land and clearing of vegetation has also led to water scarcity as the evaporation rates are high than the infiltration rates in the uncovered grounds (Adams & Peck, 2006).

Hypothesize the Possible Future of the Profession over the Next 100

Years and Give Reason for Your Hypothesis

Hypothesis: Is the United States of America water supply secured

As the water uses increase and the quantity of good quality water available declines, one question that comes in every American citizen is how prepared is the government to the impending disaster and will the country economy come to a stand still as the country runs out of this important but becoming scarce commodity. Fredrick (1995) reaffirms that the government of the United States has invested a lot of money to adapt the changes in the hydrologic (water) cycle. The government has built dams, canals reservoirs among other water structures in order to contain the excess water supplies during the down pour and supply demanded during the times of abundance and scarcity. As a result, most of the American citizens take it for granted the daily supply of water in their pipes. As Fredrick (1995) states:

“The nation’s water use patterns have come to reflect a disregard for the limits of natural hydrological conditions; the highest levels of use and the lowest prices are often found in the more arid areas of the country. But, as droughts and floods frequently remind us, water often is not where we want it, when we want it”. (pg 1)

With the country having more than 75000 dams and reservoirs (whose storage capacity is way up), this has been a guarantee to most of the American citizens that there will always be sustainable supply of water both for domestic use and for agricultural and processing uses.

Advancements in water technology also have enabled the United States of America to provide to its citizens adequate supply of water. For example, the US is among the few countries in the world which modify their weathers through cloud seeding. Cloud seeding, though controversial, increases precipitation rates by about ten percent. But recent reports indicate that in spite the efforts the United states of America is making to ensure its citizens are supplied with quality water, a press release by Strassman of the CBS (2010) shows that some places in the US are in dire need of water; he confirms this by giving an example of lake Mead just in the neighborhood of Las Vegas where the city has 2 million thirsty people as the area has had drought persistent season for more than a decade and according to the southern Nevada Water Authority it could be the driest city in the United States of America.

Hypothesis Conclusion

Although in the past the United States of America has guaranteed its citizens with adequate water supply, the same cannot be said of the future as we have seen the case of Lake Mead.

Conclusions

The pressure on our water resources seem to be increasing day by day as our ways of usage increases. There is need for reliable information on how human activities have changed the quality of our water resources over the last 100 years though we can conclude that both the quality and the quantity of water in our water resources is nothing to look back and smile at.

Climate change and global warming has also had negative impacts on our water resources due to the increased temperatures, which increase the evapo-transpiration rate and also makes our water resources breeding sites to organisms that cause water borne diseases. There is need for support from all sectors be it the government sector, the private sector, and the population as a whole in sustainable management of our water resources as the future wars seem not to be on wealth or oil but on our water sources. Sustainable economies will be judged on how efficient their water usage systems are.

Reference List

Adams, M. R., & Peck, E.D. (2006). Climate Change and Water Resources: Potential Impacts and Implications. Web.

Kiparsky, M. K., & Gleick, P.H. (2003). Climate Change and California Water Resources: A Survey and Summary of the Literature. Web.

Nolan, B.T; Ruddy, B. C; Hitt, K.J., & Helsel, D.R. (1988). Water Conditioning and Purification. v. 39, no. 12, pages 76-79. Web.

Revenga, C., & Mock, G. (2000). Dirty Water: Pollution Problems Persist. Web.

Strassman, M. (2010). America’s Dwindling Water Supply.. Web.

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