Is America's thirst destroying it?

Water is needed to power America

America is thirsty, and its never-ending consumption is causing difficulties for the nation. However it is not Coca-Cola or coffee that it is the drink of choice for the US. It is, of course, water.

The US uses approximately 150 trillion gallons of water a year for drinking, growing food, generating electricity and to run power stations and homes. However, when a country as large as the US uses so much water, it also spends a lot of time, money and, most importantly, energy on collecting, transporting, storing, treating and waste managing it.

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calculated that the total energy spent nationwide to supply drinking water and process waste-water releases 116 billion pounds of carbon dioxide annually, approximately the same quantity of emissions as 10 million cars.

However, America's water conservation program has been one of the most successful in the country. Whilst national greenhouse gas emissions have risen by 17 percent since 1990, water demand has actually dropped. Despite the population increasing 30 percent since 1975, when water demand was at its highest, the US has managed to successfully ration and monitor its water supplies.

Why? Because there is an ever increasing water crisis, as recently highlighted in California, and it is a problem that is a concern for every part of the country.

Chicken-egg problem

The problem is that as America's energy demand increases, more fossil-fuel burning power stations are needed. Coal and gas fired planets currently provide two-thirds of America's, but a large amount of that energy is used for pumping and treating water. As such, a dilemma is created; energy is needed to provide the nation's water supply, and water is needed to provide the nation's energy supply.

Not just that, but energy demand is set to increase by 10 percent by 2030 requiring even more water which will be diverted from other sectors such as agriculture. As a result, there will be more droughts, and the need to pump more water from deeper groundwater sources or to import the water from elsewhere...which will require more energy.

As such, cities and states have launched a series of initiatives to subsidise their water use, such as improved irrigation systems and capturing storm water. However, some corners simply can't be cut; water must be treated and heated or cooled before it reaches the tap, then it must be treated again after it goes down the drain and is piped away. As such, companies and governments are eager to point out the advantages of high-efficiency washing machines and low-flow toilets which can cut down on water-related carbon emissions.

The EPA's WaterSense program, which promotes water-efficient fixtures, says that retrofitting just one out of every 100 American homes to include such hardware would shave 80,000 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions a year.

However, that's a short-term solution, it's the long-term one that needs to be addressed; weaning the country off fossil fuels. Although solar power requires large amounts of water, renewable sources such as wind, biomass, geothermal and hydroelectric would cut down on the amount of water needed to keep the country running, providing more water for all.

Relevant articles:

The importance of US waterways | The Californian water crisis | Philadelphia to harness storm water

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