Water Bankruptcy

By Thad Plumley

We’ve all promoted through the years being good stewards of water since our livelihoods depend on it.

Some of you have spoken at schools, fairs, libraries, and other places about the importance of water conservation. Some of the talks have surely happened during the National Ground Water Association’s Groundwater Awareness Week, which takes place this year March 8-14.

Being water stewards yourself, I know you’re familiar with the terms “water crisis” and “water stress.” In fact, some of you live in areas where these labels are used often and trigger water restrictions from time to time.

Well, those days are over. There’s a new term in town: “water bankruptcy.”

The words stopped me cold the first time I saw them because I had never seen water shortages described with such a bold term. It had an effect on me because it seemed drastic.

Honestly, I hope it has had the same for you.

I read recently a new report from the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment, and Health, an independent organization that specializes in addressing global challenges.

It pointed out that just as constant overspending of financial income and savings for years can lead to bankruptcy, global water usage has now reached a similar spot where that term is now applicable. In other words, we’re long past the days of stress and crisis.

The report stated: “In many basins and aquifers, sustained withdrawals have exceeded renewable replenishment and safe depletion thresholds. As a result, available water resources and associated ecosystem functions have been significantly reduced, with some impacts irreversible or effectively irreversible on human time scales.”

Wow. Like I said, that is stop and sit up kind of stuff.

It added that fortunately there is hope and issues that must be addressed can indeed be addressed. After all, no matter how different we are, “every country, sector, and community depends on water.”

The report spoke of everyone going forward with a united water agenda featuring “realistic water allocations,” “investments in efficiency,” and “investments in recharge.”

This ties directly into what you do as groundwater professionals. When working with customers on a new water well system, design for what they truly need. Also, design a system focused on efficiency, and make sure the customer understands that the best long-term and efficient solution isn’t always the cheapest on day one, but the one that will work the most efficiently, ensuring water for years.

When finishing a job, tell your customers that they are now the managers of their well systems, and as such, must practice smart groundwater protection.

Educate them on protection basics such as having a locked well cap, not mixing fertilizers and other pollutants near the well, maintaining the well with monthly checks looking for cracked parts or corrosion, and conducting annual water tests.

Tell them the importance of keeping records of the well system regarding its construction, well tests, and well cleanings to ensure future work is done accurately to ensure a healthy well system.

If we all do that, we may just be a world that holds off filing water bankruptcy.

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Thad Plumley is the editor of WWJ and the director of publications for the National Ground Water Association. He can be reached at tplumley@ngwa.org, or (800) 551-7379, ext. 1594.