That Tap Water is Legal but Unhealthy

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/us/17water.html

Gaps in the Safe Water Drinking Act mean that certain pollutants found in America's tap water have not been officially banned by federal regulators - what can the EPA and other regulators do when technically the water does not violate legal standards?

Dams along the Mekong

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/world/asia/18mekong.html?scp=1&sq=mekong%20river&st=cse

The New York Times reports on the increasing trend in damming the Mekong River. Although in the US dam decommissioning has recently been a trend (opening up waterways for salmon in places like the Augusta on the Kennebec River in Maine, the Mekong faces more dams with the promise of hydroelectric power and short term flood control, but with the potential for damage to the environment and displacement. We've seen this elsewhere where damming for flood control is counterbalanced by the loss of natural sediment and silt distribution in flood plains making those areas flood less often, but with more devastating results.

"The most controversial aspects of the dams are their effects on migrating fish and on the rice-growing Mekong Delta in Vietnam, where half of that country’s food is grown. The delta depends on mineral-rich silt, which the Chinese dams are partly blocking. Experts say the new dams will block even more sediment and the many types of fish that travel great distances to spawn, damaging what the Mekong River Commission, an advisory body set up in 1995 by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam, estimates is a $2 billion fishing industry.

Of the hundreds of fish species in the river, 87 percent are migratory, according to a 2006 study.

“The fish will have nowhere to go,” said Kaew Suanpad, a 78-year-old farmer and fisherman in the village of Nagrasang, Laos, which sits above the river’s great Khone Falls.

“The dams are a very big issue for the 60 million people in the Mekong basin,” said Milton Osborne, visiting fellow at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney, Australia, and the author of several books on the Mekong. “People depend in very substantial ways on the bounty of the Mekong.”

Some analysts see the seeds of international conflict in the rush to dam the river. Civic groups in Thailand say they are frustrated that China does not seem to care how its dams affect the lives of people downstream."

McKinsey Report on Water

McKinsey issues report on water scarcity. The report discusses frameworks to help decision-makers focus on optimal, strategic pricing solutions to realize the actual value of water which could lead to greater conservation. Note that Reuters reported that during the press conference in Washington announcing the release, Michael Mack (CEO of Sygenta) and Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, the chairman of Nestle, who joined in the news conference by phone, both questioned whether the idea of water as a "human right" is useful way to frame the conversation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmCarbonEmissions/idUS277908650320091125

From the executive summary: http://www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/water/charting_our_water_future.aspx

Charting our water future

Economic frameworks to inform decision-making

Growing competition for scarce water resources is a growing business risk, a major economic threat, and a challenge for the sustainability of communities and the ecosystems upon which they rely. It is an issue that has serious implications for the stability of countries in which businesses operate, and for industries whose value chains are exposed to water scarcity.

Charting our water future: Economic frameworks to inform decision-makingshows that while meeting competing demands for water will be a considerable challenge, it is entirely possible to close the growing gap between water supply and demand. This report provides greater clarity on the scale of the water challenge and how it can be met in an affordable and sustainable manner.

The report offers case studies from four countries with drastically different water issues, which will collectively account for 40 percent of the world’s population, 30 percent of global GDP and 42 percent of projected water demand in 2030: China, India, South Africa and Brazil. The report’s methodology identifies supply- and demand-side measures that could constitute a more cost effective approach to closing the water gap and achieve savings in each country.

CS Monitor: Water at heart of Yemen's instability

At heart of Yemen's conflicts: water crisis

A recent report shows that 70 to 80 percent of rural conflicts are over water shortages in Yemen, already on the brink of becoming a failed state.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1105/p06s13-wome.html

The World Bank considers Yemen "one of the most water-scarce countries in the world" where only 125 cubic meters of water are available yearly per capita compared to the world average of 2,500 cubic meters. Just 46 percent of Yemen's rural population has direct access to an adequate water supply and the number is only slighter better in cities, according to the German Development Service (GDS), which is working with the Yemeni government to improve water management.

NYT: Marin County Struggles Over Public vs. Private (Operational) Control Over Sewage

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/us/04sfwater.html?_r=2&hpw

As the Novato Sanitary District considers contracting with French water giant Veolia, local opposition has arisen over private operational control over the sewage system. Critics claim that privatization will mean higher rates, proponents say that efficiency will improve.

The Times article suggests that the key factor for communities faced with public-versus-private options is to properly enter into, assess and enforce their interests in contracts : "In 2002, the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, issued a report noting that any community needed to monitor and enforce contract provisions. “No matter how well a privatization arrangement is crafted,” it said, the public agency’s interests seldom matched those of the contractor."

Look for our forthcoming article in the ABA's Natural Resources and Environment journal on corporate social responsibility and water - one goal we propose is greater transparency in reporting by the private sector operators and water users so that communities will have greater information to make more informed decisions.

Does water cause conflicts or not?

British author Wendy Barnaby earlier this year wrote a piece in Nature magazine questioning whether the popular premise (discussed many places including here on this blog) that water scarcity will inevitably lead to conflict actually is right.

See: Do Nations go to War Over Water? (subscription)
Nature 458, 282-283 (19 March 2009) | doi:10.1038/458282a; Published online 18 March 2009
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v458/n7236/full/458282a.html

(for a preview, see Slate: http://www.slate.com/id/2215263/ )

We had posted an article last November citing to the International Crisis Group's findings that scarcity may actually lead to increased collaboration among nations that would otherwise compete for shared resources:

International Crisis Group recently released a report on Climate Change and Conflict which read in part:

"Importantly, climate and environmental stress may also play a role in producing collaboration instead of violence. Water is an important example. Historically, water scarcity has often – though certainly not always – worked to favour cooperation between states. Interstate dialogue prompted by diminished water supplies, particularly, can build trust, institutionalise cooperation on a broader range of issues and create common regional identities."
see: http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=4932

Despite Ms. Barnaby's analysis, conventional wisdom still sounds the alarm on "water wars" - see (or hear!) for example, a recent piece by NPR on water shortages in Iraq and potential conflict with neighboring Turkey which controls the headwaters for most of Iraq's river water.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112494850

On the reluctance of states to enshrine right to water

See Professor Gabriel Eckstein's blog on water issues and his August 3rd posting entitled, "Why do so many governments oppose a human right to water?"  The short answer - governments want to avoid liability and responsibilities that come with enforcement of rights.   Interestingly, we note that at the same time that many companies are coming out ahead of states and advocating for the right to water.  This makes sense as if states have to enforce the right to access water, then they may be forced to turn to the private sector to help them physically realize the goal of providing water to constituents. 

http://internationalwaterlaw.org/blog/ 

2009 Failed States Index and Water

In a recent issue of Foreign Policy Magazine, the Failed States Index compiled by the Fund for Peace and FP examines how climate change is predicted to increase the probability of conflict especially in already unstable or failing states.  Notably, author Stephan Faris argues that water is already undermining stability in Pakistan - water shortages have led to food shortages and the deployment of troops to guard wheat supplies.  The Himalayas provide water for much of southeast Asia and as glaciers melt and volume of runoff decreases, tensions with neighboring India are expected to rise as both countries compete with each other over water - Pakistan vociferously opposes damming and fears that India would dam high mountain waters could lead to conflict. 

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/06/22/failed_states_index_the_last_straw 

Nicholas Kristof on "Clean, Sexy Water"

Times Op-Ed columnist Nicholas Kristof profiles the founder of the non-profit organization "charity: water."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/opinion/12kristof.html?_r=2&em

Declaration on U.S. Policy and the Global Challenge of Water

On Wednesday, March 18th, the Center for Strategic & International Studies held a release event for a Declaration on U.S. Policy and the Global Challenge of Water drafted by the Center's Global Water Futures Project. The Declaration is co-chaired by Bill Frist, former Senate Majority Leader, and Neville Isdell, Chairman of The Coca-Cola Company and, at the time of its release, had been endorsed by over 35 leaders from government, industry, and civil society.

The Declaration calls on the U.S. Government to engage more proactively in efforts to address global water concerns. It begins with the observation that "[t]he United States now has the opportunity to take global leadership position on a critical resource - water - that will become even more critical in the future. The world over, water is intricately linked to the stability and security of communities and nations, human health, education, economic prosperity, humanitarian relief, and stewardship of the physical environment. Beyond that, water is vital to other key resources essential to the human condition, most notably agriculture and energy."

In calling for increased U.S. engagement on water issues, the Declaration quotes President Obama, who, in his inaugural address, addressed "the people of poor nations" in stating that "we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds." The President also observed that "we can not longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it."

The Declaration makes the following specific recommendations:

1. The President should spearhead a comprehensive and sustained global campaign to address the global challenge of water.
2. The President should develop an integrated strategy for national action on the global water campaign.
3. The President should appoint a special high-level representative to lead implementation of the U.S. global water campaign.
4. The special representative should be directly reinforced by a core team to help guide implementation of the water campaign, in addition to expanded capacities at the Department of State at the behest of the special representative.
5. The proposed U.S. campaign should be commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge—which means a significant increase in the amount and duration of resources committed under the campaign.
6. The U.S. government should attempt to energize and catalyze international efforts.
7. The U.S. government should reinforce public/private-sector partnerships.

Speaking at the release of the Declaration, former Senator Frist emphasized that it was critical for the United States to develop a national strategy on water issues. Senator Frist focused many of his remarks on the tremendous public health implications of the global water crisis, noting that one child dies every 15 seconds because of a lack of clean drinking water. He observed that, while progress is being made on improving global access to water resources, insufficient progress has been made on improving sanitation facilities.

Mr. Isdell addressed his comments to the global business community. He said that companies, both large and small, must "step up" on water concerns and play a role in formulating effective strategies for ensuring the sustainability of water resources. He called on corporate leaders to address three things: their water footprint, their water handprint, and the public policy blueprint on water issues. To address their footprint, companies must understand their water usage internally, and along their supply chain. Companies should establish clear indicators and goals for water usage. Companies should also strive for water "neutrality" through efforts to improve the efficiency of their water usage, recycle the water that is used and replenish water resources. To address their handprint, companies must seek to play a leadership role in addressing water concerns through partnerships with both government and civil society. Finally, to address the water blueprint, companies should engage in public policy debates and efforts to establish long term strategies for managing global water resources.

More information on the Declaration, including video from the release, is available at
http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_events/task,view/id,1928/

WORLD WATER DAY 2009!

www.worldwaterday.org

www.unwater.org/worldwaterday

Is access to clean water a basic human right?

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0319/p06s01-woeu.html  

With the backdrop of the World Water Forum in Istanbul, this piece in the Christian Science Monitor rasies the question we've been dealing with on the cleanwaterblog - is access to clean water a basic human right?  

The CSM is reporting that, " A declaration to be signed by the ministers of some 120 countries attending the forum is expected to refer to access to water as a "basic need," rather than a right."  

But business seems to be ahead of the state parties with some (like the the AquaFed) espousing that there is a _right_ to water: "There is absolutely no conflict between the right to water and the private sector. Our industry supports the right to water," says Gerard Payen, president of AquaFed, an international federation of some 200 private water operators operating in over 30 countries

World Water Forum under way in Istanbul

The Fifth World Water Forum is under way in Istanbul, Turkey.   The six key themes of this forum are: 1) climate change; 2) Millennium Development Goals; 3) water resource management and protection; 4) financing; 5) knowledge and capacity; and 6) water governance. 

www.worldwaterforum5.org 

At a recent event on water at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, State Department Special Coordinator for Water Resources Aaron Salzberg stated that the US mission to the World Water forum will focus on among other topics financing - especially encouraging public-private in-country partnerships rather than from development assistance. 

Another focus will be managing "hydrologic variability" - i.e. managing water in places where it may downpour for a month and go dry for another eleven; where water supply is uneven and inconsistent.  

Driest place on earth - caught in the middle of a free market for water

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/world/americas/15chile.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

The New York Times recently featured an article about Quillagua, Chile, known in some record books as the driest place on earth, in the Atacama desert.  Chile, which has very liberal free market water policies where water rights are considered private property rights that can be bought, traded and sold as any other commodity.  

The principle espoused was to ensure efficiency in the use and distribution of water.  Water will be allocated, by the free market, for its greatest economic use, and in Chile, water intensive extractive industry like the copper mining are a major economic driving force.  We've seen in California, and elesewhere in the US where water is undervalued in the market by a prior appropriation system that encourages use over conservation.  In drought-stricken California, water intensive crops such as rice, cotton and alfalfa take up a large portion of irrigated land mass.  But farmers may feel compelled to use use extra water to maintain their stake in their historical volume use.

What the Chilean example shows however is lack of environmental regulation involved - the water that does flow to Quillagua is heavily polluted from mining operations upstream.   

Like

Reuters on California's Agriculture and Water Woes

http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0627014620090313

California has entered one of the costliest and most severe droughts in memory, with hard-hitting effects on the agriculture sector. Reuters has presented some factoids on framing and water in California below.  California's legal water regime, a hybrid of first-in-line (senior rights or prior appropriation) and riparian doctrines.  The prior appropriation doctrine requires users to apply their share of water to continuing beneficial use - a severe impediment to conservation - if one uses less water this year, they may lose the difference next. 

March 13 (Reuters) - California is the United States' top farming state, but its future is clouded by water shortages, forecast to worsen with climate change.

Here are some facts about California farming and water:

-- California leads all states as top farm producer measured by cash receipts of $36.6 billion in 2007, 13 percent of the U.S. total and nearly twice the output of No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Iowa.

-- The state has 75,000 farms and ranches and is home to nine of the the nation's top 10 producing counties.

-- It supplies over half of U.S. fruits, nuts and vegetables and over 90 percent of U.S. almonds, artichokes, avocados, broccoli and processing tomatoes. Grapes, lettuce and almonds are the biggest crops in cash value.

-- California produces 80 percent of the world almond crop and one-third of the world's canned tomatoes.

-- California is not technically a "breadbasket." It is not a top five U.S. producer of any grain product, but it is, surprisingly, the nation's largest dairy producer.

-- Overseas exports have risen in recent years to 25 percent of total production today from 16 percent 10 years ago. The top three destinations - the European Union, Canada and Japan - accounted for nearly 60 percent of the 48-commodity total.

-- Farming accounts for 2 percent of the state's $1.6 trillion economy, but its demand for equipment, transport, labor and other services make it a key economic sector for the world's eighth-largest economy.

-- The San Joaquin Valley accounts for 60 percent of the state's prime farmland and is the world's most productive agricultural region. It depends mostly on snowpack melt from hundreds of miles away for irrigation.

-- Farming accounts for 80 percent of the state's water usage, according to the Pacific Institute, but the farm industry and government put the number much lower at 40 percent to 60 percent.

-- California is expected to suffer its third straight year of drought in 2009. Economic losses could rise to $3 billion and 95,000 agricultural jobs will be lost. Federal water deliveries will be zero and state water allocations could be 15 percent of the amount requested.

-- Over the course of this century, climate models show California's water supply dropping 24 percent to 30 percent, most in the second half, according to studies by the University of California, Davis.

(Sources: Reuters, U.S. Department of Agriculture, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Public Policy Institute of California, Pacific Institute for Studies on Development, Environment and Security, Los Angeles Times and University of California, Davis)

Coca Cola backs water and sanitation project in Kenya

http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Local/Coca-Cola-in-water-projects-1775.html

Coca Cola has joined USAID and World Vision in supporting a project to improve access to clean water and sanitation in the Mara River basin in Kenya.  Funding is being provided for digging a borehole, masonry tanks, shallow wells and cattle troughs. In addition, Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP) latrines and hand washing facilities will also be installed.

New report calls for improved water reporting by business

http://www.pacinst.org/press_center/press_releases/water_disclosure_3_11_09.html

A new report by the Pacific Institute  (commissioned by the UN-established CEO Water Mandate) calls for improved usage reporting by water-intensive industries such as beverage, chip manufacturing, extractive industry, forestry products and pharmaceuticals. 

Among the most significant findings of Water Disclosure 2.0 are:

1. Corporate reporting on water needs to be expanded to include actions and impacts outside of direct operations, including information on supply chain performance, regional or local water use, and contextual information for better understanding corporate water risks and impacts.
2. Less than half of the companies assessed described their materiality assessments or their efforts to utilize stakeholder input to inform their Corporate Responsibility reporting, both key measures underpinning robust reports.
3. Water reporting was not sufficiently comprehensive or comparable, particularly with regard to a number of the “process-oriented” elements addressed in The CEO Water Mandate, including Public Policy, Supply Chain Management, and Collective Action, which were addressed by only a small percentage of companies.

See also: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/03/09/preventing_a_water_crisis/ 

Business, Human Rights and the Right to Water

A new Institute for Human Rights and Business draft report entitled "Business, Human Rights and the Right to Water: Challenges, Dilemmas and Opportunities" has been issued.  That's right - the RIGHT to water. 

http://www.institutehrb.org/reports.html

The draft report raises several questions:

1. What is the scope of a company‟s responsibility to respect the human right to water?

2. Does this responsibility extend to providing infrastructure – or water – to communities where it

operates?

3. If a company is a water service provider, does it extend only to its customers?

4. Does business have a role, or should business have a role, in providing water to the most

marginalised communities, who cannot or will not pay on principle?

5. Does the corporate responsibility to respect human rights change when a company operates in a

country where an overwhelmingly large proportion of the population lives below the poverty line?

6. Do the responsibilities of business change if a State is unwilling or unable to provide water?

7. What is the advocacy role of business? Can a company be expected to act as a champion of the

community, and lobby the government, encouraging it to fulfil its duty to protect, regardless of

capacity?

8. What precisely should businesses be reporting in terms of water and human rights?

9. What are the implications of reporting in a closed society, where the right to information is not

respected, and where there is limited, or no, political participation?

10. Is there a role for business in supporting citizens and communities to understand and demand their

right to water be fulfilled (by state - ultimate duty bearer)

11. Given the greater burden on women and girls in accessing water, is there special emphasis that

should be placed on gender issues (particularly for service providers)?

Notably, the draft report notes that some companies have recognized that water is a human right and the report advocates a "rights-based approach" by business to water issues.  

Businesses are coming under increased scrutiny as 1) users of water (beverage industry, agriculture, water-intensive industries like chip manufacturers; 2) providers of water (bottled or utilities); and 3) enablers of water (water treatment companies, pipe manufacturers).  Privatization of water resources can not be avoided in this discussion. 

At a recent event at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) State Department Special Coordinator for Water Resources Dr. Aaron Salzberg noted that in terms of the privatization the US Government position is "agnostic" - in some cases it has worked, in other cases it has not.  

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2009/090112.htm

The US Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service (ARS) is currently examining the use of remediated water for use in agriculture.   Scientists hope to determine whether reclaimed waste water (sewage and runoff which is treated) would be safe to irrigate crops with.  This is a potential approach to addressing water scarcity - agricultural uses account for more than 70% of water usage.

World Bank Urges China to Raise Water Prices

The World Bank has urged China to raise water prices to encourage its citizens to conserve water. 

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_325191.html:

'To provide appropriate incentives for the adoption of water saving technologies and behaviours, water prices need to be allowed to rise to reflect its full scarcity value,' the bank said in a report published on Monday.

It said that water shortages, pollution and flooding had for years constrained growth and affected public health and welfare in many parts of China, which it claimed would soon join the group of 'water stressed' nations.

For more see: 

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/EASTASIAPACIFICEXT/EXTEAPREGTOPENVIRONMENT/0,,contentMDK:21015230~pagePK:34004173~piPK:34003707~theSitePK:502886,00.html 

House passes legislation on promoting water efficiency

On 11 February 2009, the House of Representatives passed two bills to encourage water efficiency  as the country continues to dry out.  H.R. 361, introduced by Rep. Matheson (D-UT) is designed to "increase research, development, education, and technology transfer activities related to water use efficiency and conservation technologies and practices at the Environmental Protection Agency."   

The Bill recognizes that betwen 1950 and 2000, the US population grew by 90% and public demand for water increased by 209% and anticipates that 36 states will face local, regional or state-wide water shortages by 2013.  The bill calls for the EPA to establish a research and development program to promote water use efficiency and conservation, including

(1) technologies and processes that enable the collection, storage, treatment, and reuse of rainwater, stormwater, and greywater;

(2) water storage and distribution systems;

(3) behavioral, social, and economic barriers to achieving greater water use efficiency; and

(4) use of watershed planning directed toward water quality, conservation, and supply.

http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=111_cong_bills&docid=f:h631ih.txt.pdf

"H.R. 469, The Produced Water Utilization Act was introduced by Committee Ranking Member Ralph Hall (R-TX). This bill creates a research, development, and demonstration program to promote the beneficial reuse of water produced in connection with oil and gas extraction. In the United States, up to 2.3 billion gallons per day of produced water is generated. Unfortunately, this water is not of sufficient quality to be used. This legislation will provide innovative treatment technologies that will enable the reuse of this water in an environmentally responsible way."

http://ww.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?Section=ONART&PUBLICATION_ID=41&ARTICLE_ID=353189&C=INDUS&dcmp=rss

NYT : A Company Prospers by Saving Poor People’s Lives

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/health/research/03prof.html?pagewanted=1&em
The New York Times reports on prosperity by companies making goods for the aid industry - one company described makes the "life straw" a 10-inch plastic cylinder that filters out or kills bacteria, parasites and some viruses and can be made for less than $3.

"Early versions used iodine beads and a charcoal filter to lessen the iodine taste. New ones use hollow-fiber technology. To promote the straws, Torben has let television crews film him drinking out of Copenhagen’s canals and even a toilet. “That was awful,” he admitted. “It was a ladies’ toilet, and they put in some odor chemical to make it smell better, and LifeStraw doesn’t take out chemicals. And the canals have salt from the seawater. It can’t filter that, so I drank a lot of salt.” Aid agencies have bought tens of thousands for use after the Myanmar cyclone and earthquakes in Asia. The company now makes a bigger version that filters five gallons an hour with no iodine aftertaste and will last a typical family three years."

Equitable water distribution nightmare in Dar es Salaam

http://dailynews.habarileo.co.tz/analysis/index.php?id=9420

 

We recently discussed the ICSID decision concerning the dispute between Tanzania and Biwater.   Here now comes a direct account of what it is like to actually lilve in Dar es Salaam and the struggle to obtain water - not due to actual water scarcity, but inadequate water delivery.  According to this article, a great majority of residents depend on informal water suppliers.   Of the approximately 300 million litres pumped into the urban water system daily, much of it is lost to leakage (from poor infrastructure) or illegal connetions: 

"Of the 300 million litres that are pumped as little as 16 per cent is delivered to paying customers, the rest is lost to illegal connections and leakages. Imagine the problem to a city of around four million people. However, there is a lack of adequate water sources and resources to develop water points in the country according to UN Habitat. 

Overall metering by the utilities is below 30 per cent, thus giving more customers room to waste or misuse water. Reports by this UN settlement agency show that there are high water losses which have a substantial effect on revenue collection and economies of water supply. The agency says with a proper water-demand management programme, aimed at reducing leakage, wastage and illegal connections, coverage could be increased without large capital investments."

Water infrastructure in US rated "D"eplorable by American Society of Civil Engineers

The American Society of Civil Engineers gives US infrastructure a "D" rating.  Water infrastructure, including dams and drinking water are in serious trouble.  See also, Bob Herbert's oped piece in today's New York Times which cites the report card.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/03/opinion/03herbert.html?_r=1

http://www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm

DAMS    D

As dams age and downstream development increases, the number of deficient dams has risen to more than 4,000, including 1,819 high hazard potential dams. Over the past six years, for every deficient, high hazard potential dam repaired, nearly two more were declared deficient. There are more than 85,000 dams in the U.S., and the average age is just over 51 years old.

DRINKING WATER    D-

America's drinking water systems face an annual shortfall of at least $11 billion to replace aging facilities that are near the end of their useful life and to comply with existing and future federal water regulations. This does not account for growth in the demand for drinking water over the next 20 years. Leaking pipes lose an estimated seven billion gallons of clean drinking water a day.

Water - food or golf?

Two interesting articles about water stress that underscore the omnipresence of water in aspects of our lives from fundamental to recreational - although I know that golf is very fundamental to many of my friends!   

The first, BBC article discusses food production and mentions water stress.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7795652.stm 

UK food experts are claling for food audits by water.  The UK imports half of its vegetables and many come from water-stressed nations.  This will need to change to accomodate an exploding global population and water scarcity.

The second describes the challenges golf courses face, especially in water-stressed areas like the the American southwest.   In Las Vegas, its 57 courses use 7.6 percent of water expended.  But according to the Aguanomics blog, "the $7 billion golf industry uses one percent of California's water while the $32 billion agricultural industry uses 75 percent of the State's water."

http://www.golfweek.com/protours/other/story/water-worries-special-report-122908

Water districts throughout Nevada and California are paying golf courses as much as $3 per square foot to replace turf acreage with water-efficient landscaping, and have begun imposing financial penalties for any water used over budgeted amounts. The result may be fewer golf courses in the future, and those that are left may look radically different from the ones that exist today. 

ICSID Tribunal Does not Award Any Damages Against Private Water Venture, But Finds Tanzania to have Vioalted Bialteral Investment Treaty

http://www.asil.org/insights081231.cfm

http://www.business-humanrights.org/Categories/Lawlawsuits/Lawsuitsregulatoryaction/LawsuitsSelectedcases/Biwater-Tanzaniaarbitration

In an echo of the Cochabamba water conflict in Bolivia eight years ago, Tanzania was required to take on a private operator to run water and sewage in its capital Dar es Saalam, as a condition for receiving $140 million in World Bank, African Development bank and European Investment Bank loans to repair crumbling infrastructure in the city.   A joint venture of UK based Biwater and German-based Gauff was awarded the contract and immediately ran into difficulties - notably in collection of bills, resistance to rate increases and competition from unauthorized water providers. 

A dipsute between the consoritum and the Government of Tanzania arose when the operator asked for an increase in tariffs after realizing the difficulty of its tasks and failing to allot sufficient managerial and financial resources.  The Tanzanians eventually repudiated the lease contract, and ejected Biwater.   Biwater sued for $20 million in lost earnings before the ICSID (International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes).   Last summer an ICSID panel found that Tanzania had violated its obligations, it refused to award Biwater any compensation.   The reasoning was that becasue Biwater had failed to prove any actual damages, just lost opportunities to make money in the future, it was not entitled to recovery. 

Obama Administration on Water

President Obama in his inaugural address to the nation stated, that the US would "work alongside" the people of poor nations "to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds." 

What is in store on the clean water front for the new administration?

New EPA administrator Lisa Jackson has stated as one of her top five priorities at the helm of the Agency: "Protecting America’s water. EPA will intensify our work to restore and protect the quality of the nation’s streams, rivers, lakes, bays, oceans and aquifers. The Agency will make robust use of our authority to restore threatened treasures such as the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay, to address our neglected urban rivers, to strengthen drinking-water safety programs, and to reduce pollution from non-point and industrial dischargers."

Alliance for the Great Lakes: "water conservation can create new jobs"

http://www.greatlakes.org/Page.aspx?pid=842

The Alliance is calling on Congress to direct $10 billion of emerging federal economic recovery funds to much-needed water conservation efforts.

A new Alliance report, “Water Works: How Water Conservation Can Create Jobs & Leave Our Nation’s Waters Better for Future Generations,” advises that an infusion of $10 billion in congressional economic recovery funds could create some 200,000 jobs.

Because energy consumption plays such a major role in treatment and delivery of potable water, conservation of H20 will lead to savings in energy.  

Pacific Research Institute: California’s Water Problems Are Mostly Due to Uneven Distribution, Not Lack of Supply

A Pacific Research Institute Report, "Go with the Flow" suggests that California's water problems are not due to lack of supply, but rather distribution. PRI calls for the emergence of water markets to better match supply and demand. Author Amy Kaleita observes that about 75 percent of the water supply originates in the northern third of the state, with 80 percent of the demand in the southern two-thirds. To facilitate distribution, California has a long history of large and costly water projects, with more on the horizon, at a time when the state does not abound in money and its credit rating is low. Under current water law doctrine in California, which is essentially a "use-it-or-lose-it" scheme, there are disincentives for conservation.

http://liberty.pacificresearch.org/publications/go-with-the-flow-why-water-markets-can-solve-californias-water-crisis

Water shortages threaten stability

A pair of articles from the Times Online highlights the threat of conflict over water.   The first discusses UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon telling the inaugural Asia-Pacific Water Summit that, "The consequences for humanity are grave. Water scarcity threatens economic and social gains and is a potent fuel for wars and conflict."

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2994650.ece

The second article, entitled "Ecologists warn the planet is running short of water,"  discussed the end of the era of "cheap water."  Well, that prediction may be more true for those living in the north where water is currently plentiful and underpriced, but tell that to the inhabitants of water-impoverished nations who are paying up to 20% of their incomes for water and pay exponentially more per gallon than we do in the developed world. 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5562906.ece

Reference is also made to a study by David Zhang, a geographer at the University of Hong Kong, in the US National Academy of Sciences journal that analysed 8,000 wars over 500 years and concluded that water shortage had played a far greater role as a catalyst than previously supposed.

US water market expected to grow after credit crunch

With recent cutbacks in investment in tech sector, major infrastructure capital improvements, the business of water in the US has declined lately.  However, the new adminsitration has already emphasized that they will focus on repairing crumbling infrastructure and investing in green technologies.   The damage to the enviroment and rising water scarcity within the US will, unfortunately, also be a strong motivator.

According to WaterMarket USA, 

"The biggest area of expenditure will be rehabilitating the sewer network - attracting a total of $46 billion of expenditure between 2009 and 2016. Up-grading wastewater treatment plants is also a priority - attracting $41.1 billion over the same period. The fastest growing market will be seawater desalination, which is currently not much more than a cottage industry in the US, attracting total capital expenditure of around $130 million in 2008. This will grow to over $1 billion by 2015."

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/12/prweb1739634.htm

Other findings from Water Market USA include:

• Water tariffs will need to rise steeply: currently US consumers pay between a third and a half the amount that European consumers pay for water, but they use two to three times the amount of water.
• The challenge of recruiting skilled staff will drive investment in automation among larger utilities and as well as encourage outsourcing among smaller utilities
• The fastest growing water technology markets over the period between 2008 and 2016 will be ultrafiltration and microfiltration membranes (+280%), UV disinfection (+227%), Ozone disinfection systems (+233%) and membrane bioreactors (+180%), and reverse osmosis membrane systems (+165%).
• Capital expenditure on water reuse will top $10 billion between 2009 and 2016; whereas seawater desalination will attract investment of $5.5 billion over the same period.

The main beneficiaries of long term growth in the sector will be engineering firms such as Black & Veatch, CH2M Hill, AECOM Technologies (NYSE:ACM), and Jacobs Engineering (JEC); solutions providers such as General Electric (NYSE: GE), Siemens (NYSE:SI), Veolia Environnement (ADRs: NYSE: VE); and equipment suppliers such as ITT (NYSE:ITT), Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Energy Recovery Inc (NASDAQ: ERI). The growth rate of investor owned utilities is expected to be more modest, although they are expected to provide a safe haven for investors during the crunch period.

Christopher Gasson, co-author of Water Market USA commented: "The cost of the cutbacks during 2009 will be borne by the environment. We will see more pollution in rivers and lakes and further degradation of freshwater resources.

"From 2010 onwards the outlook looks much better. With Obama's big infrastructure spend feeding through, and utilities catching up with the projects that they were forced to delay in 2008 and 2009 because of the financial crisis.

South Africa's looming water crisis - threat of violence/

In a country where  access to water is enshrined as a constitutional right, observers are fearing violence could errupt, due to even the perception that water needs aren't being met. 

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20081214084955869C275213

By Eleanor Momberg

South Africa's water crisis was "like a ticking time bomb" waiting to explode. "All the signs are there," said Deon Nel, the manager of the World Wide Fund for Nature's Sanlam Living Waters Partnership.

Nel's confirmation of the looming water crisis comes on the heels of the warning by Dr Anthony Turton, the former natural resource and environment unit fellow at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), that the water crisis and the lack of surplus water in South Africa would hamper future economic development.

Turton also stated in a paper - which he was prevented from delivering at a CSIR conference last month - that violence similar to that experienced during the xenophobic attacks in May could be unleashed "in response to perceptions of deteriorating public health" as a result of declining water quality.

UN General Assembly President Calls for International RIGHT TO WATER

http://www.un.org/ga/president/63/statements/cremarkshumanrights101208.shtml 

United Nations General Assembly President, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, called on countries to establish the right to water for their people on the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 

"We should recognize that the right to water is a human right, and water cannot therefore be treated as a commodity that is bought and sold. The right to water should unite us in building a new model of sustainable human development" stated the GA President in a December address.  

Lake Mead unusable by 2021?

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=71072

Scientists agree that water usage of the Colorado River basin in current amounts is unsustainable - but when will the water actually run out? 

China's plans on diversion of Tibetan rivers

More on the reported Chinese plans to divert the waters of the Yalong Tsangpo - Brahmaputra River in the Tibeten plateau and India's possible concerns downstream.  

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/JL09Ad01.html

India quakes over China's water plan  By Sudha Ramachandran  BANGALORE - Even as India and China are yet to resolve their decades-old territorial dispute, another conflict is looming. China's diversion of the waters of a river originating in Tibet to its water-scarce areas could leave India's northeast parched. This is expected to trigger new tensions in the already difficult relations between the two Asian giants.  Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is reported during his recentBeijing visit to have raised the issue of international rivers flowing out of Tibet. Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has said that water scarcity threatened the very "survival of the Chinese nation". The river in question is the Brahmaputra, which begins in southwestern Tibet where it is known as the Yalong Tsangpo River." Analysts have drawn attention to incidents in the past to show how vulnerable downstream areas are to what takes place upstream in Tibet. In June 2000, for instance, the breach of a dam in Tibet led to floods and left over 100 people dead or missing inArunachal Pradesh. In August that year, swollen lakes in Tibet caused severe flooding of the River Sutlej in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh, sweeping away around 100 bridges and killing scores of people. If floods upstream have a serious impact on downstream areas, the diversion of waters will have “even more devastating consequences”, an India-China watcher in India, Claude Arpi, warned.  Underscoring the implications of the project, Arpi said that issues of concern “not only pertain to the environment but also to national and international security. If Beijing goes ahead with the Tsangpo project it would practically mean a declaration of war against South Asia.”