How can communities ensure the future resiliency of urban water supplies? The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread posed that question recently to several water experts.
“Cities in certain regions of the United States could be caught unprepared to meet water demands if they do not take proactive steps now to diversify their water supply,” according to Lynn Broaddus, director of the Environment Program at the foundation.
“Getting out ahead of our water security challenges and achieving long-term sustainability of the nation’s water resources in the face of climate change, energy demands, diminishing groundwater supplies, financial challenges and other resource constraints is going to require a comprehensive and cross-sector approach.” To advance the conversation, the foundation posed this question to six water experts across a range of sectors:
Ensuring a safe and reliable source of freshwater is fundamental to life. This is increasingly challenging in growing urban areas where intense water demands from residential, commercial, industrial and energy sectors is the new norm. It poses a similar challenge to the large swaths of the country that are experiencing long-term drought or reaching the limits of their current supply. From your vantage point, and drawing on your expertise and experience, what do you see as one of the major challenges to the future resiliency of our urban water supplies, and what corresponding opportunity or approach do you recommend to overcome that challenge?
The dialogue is part of Charting New Waters, a foundation initiative that aims to catalyze new solutions to freshwater challenges in the United States. The initiative brings together experts from across the public, private and nongovernment organization sectors, along with other stakeholders, to focus on the challenges water and wastewater utilities need to overcome. Here are several highlights from their comments:
Nancy Stoner, acting assistant administrator, Office of Water at the U.S. EPA, and Jay Jensen, associate director of land and water, White House Council on Environmental Quality:
“Water scarcity in both urban and rural areas is a pressing concern for Americans, especially in light of a changing climate. One of the biggest challenges facing communities is the increasing severity of storms and weather events like drought. It’s time to modernize the policies underpinning the needed investment to tackle these challenges and to bring forth innovative solutions through partnerships between the public and private sectors.”
Albert Cho, vice president of strategy and business development, Xylem:
“The biggest threat to the future resiliency of urban water supplies is not an external force, such as drought or climate change, though these are clearly fundamental challenges, nor is it a question of lacking technology or viable models for sustainable water management: Myriad solutions are available and tested at scale. Rather, the biggest challenge is us — more specifically, our collective inability to mobilize an engaged and informed constituency capable of motivating decision-makers to invest in the infrastructure we need to prepare for a more water-scarce future.”
Cynthia Lane, director of engineering and technical services, AWWA:
“Water utilities have historically relied upon water supplies that have always sustained them, such as lakes, groundwater basins, and rivers with many ‘straws,’ and only recently do they need to look outside those traditional sources. Wastewater and stormwater have not been viewed as viable options for drinking water sources, further restricting the ability of a water utility to supplement an existing water resource portfolio or supplant a currently unsustainable supply.”
Dick Luthy, director of ReNUWIt: The Urban Water ERC:
“In response to the challenge, an increasing number of cities are taking bold steps to increase water availability by developing local supplies from sources once thought to be undrinkable. These urban pioneers are part of a quiet revolution that promises to create a water supply that will replace much of the expensive and increasingly unreliable infrastructure built during the 20th century.”
Mary Ann Dickinson, president and CEO, Alliance for Water Efficiency:
“Thirty years ago, most of us would have laughed at the fact that we might run out of water in the U.S., or that water shortages would affect more than 40 of 50 states. However, it is indeed happening. In California, 2013 was the driest in the state’s recorded history and the third consecutive year of what Gov. Jerry Brown is calling a ‘megadrought.’ Reservoirs serving major population centers are dwindling to 10 percent or less of their capacity. Aqueduct deliveries of water have been reduced to nearly zero. Seventeen California cities have less than 120 days left of water supply. And this is the rainy season.”
To read the full articles, visit http://bit.ly/1oXu3ER. The Johnson Foundation at Wingspread is dedicated to catalyzing change by bringing together leading thinkers and inspiring solutions on environmental and regional issues. Visit www.johnsonfdn.org.
