Freshwater

Learn about the multiple challenges to freshwater and their impacts. Roughly 25 percent of the world’s population is experiencing extreme water stress. Approximately two billion people do not have access to clean drinking water, and 3.6 billion lack adequate sanitation. More than 800,00 people die each year from unsafe water. Chemical runoff from farms is a significant source of water pollution. While drought, erosion, and contamination impact surface water sources, more than 90 percent of all freshwater globally is found below our feet as groundwater. These subsurface sources are suffering from depletion, pollution, lack of natural recharge, and mining for use in hydraulic fracturing. Impacts on freshwater include:

• Surface water pollution. In the U.S., more than 50 percent of waterways, 55 percent of lake acres, and 26 percent of estuary miles are too polluted to meet the EPA’s standards for swimming and recreation, aquatic life, fish consumption, or as sources for drinking water. A study found the weed killer glyphosate (sold as Roundup) in 66 of 70 streams in the U.S. Other sources of pollution globally include sewage and oil production.
• Groundwater depletion and pollution. The rate of global groundwater depletion doubled between 1960 and 2000, affecting millions of people. In the U.S., groundwater depletion threatens to exhaust aquifers across the nation. Surface water that makes its way underground is often polluted. A main source of contamination are agricultural chemicals, including pesticides. Other sources include storage tanks, septic systems, landfills, and hazardous waste.
• Antibiotics and sewage in water supplies. A main agricultural contributor to water pollution is confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Antibiotics used to treat and prevent livestock diseases in CAFOs contaminate drinking water that can sicken humans. The FAO calls the flow of these drugs, chemicals, and pathogens into our water supply a crisis. Approximately 90 percent of sewage in developing countries is discharged directly into water bodies.
• Dams. Impoundment dams and water-diversion systems block migration routes for fish and disrupt habitats. They can have a significant impact on water quality. The reservoirs created by dams are a primary source of evaporation, reducing freshwater quantities (see Hydropower Nexus).
• Draining and channeling. Human activities can change how much water reaches a stream, divert flow through manmade channels, or alter stream shape and location, reducing water quantity. The draining of wetlands has multiple negative impacts (see Wetlands Nexus).
• Erosion. Many land use activities result in soil erosion, causing a decline in water quantity and quality. Overgrazing by livestock can lead to the denuding of vegetative cover, causing erosion of topsoil and gully formation and creating opportunities for invasive plant species. Trampling can cause soil compaction.
• Deforestation. Trees are critical to many watersheds. When forests are removed, watersheds are unable to properly filter water and regulate the water supply for the human and animal communities that depend on them. Risks of floods increase without forests to hold soils in place.
• Invasion of exotic species. Freshwater ecosystems can be disrupted in various ways by non-native animals and plants. In the American West, invasive tamarisk trees crowd out native plants and lower water tables with their long taproots.
• Loss of biodiversity. Global biodiversity is being lost as a consequence of the degradation of freshwater ecosystems, mainly due to pollution and habitat destruction, creating crisis conditions that have drawn the attention of global conservation organizations and the UN.
• Climate change. Global warming is causing multiple impacts on freshwater supplies, including devastating floods and droughts. About 50 percent of freshwater fish species are threatened by climate change globally, mainly as a consequence of rising temperatures.

Learn what you can do to mitigate the freshwater crisis where you live. In the U.S., an individual uses 80-100 gallons of freshwater each day for indoor use. There are many strategies for conserving freshwater at home and in your neighborhood.

• Reduce water use. The simplest strategy is to reduce the amount of water you use on a daily basis. The EPA has tips on how to use water more efficiently inside and outside your home. This room-by-room guide will help you cut water use. Install low-flow toilets. Keep an eye out for leaks that may be costing you water.
• Recycle wastewater. Recycling wastewater can help reduce the amount of freshwater used. The EPA provides an overview of water reuse. Here and here are ideas to try at home. Greywater systems can cut water use at home significantly.
• Harvest rainwater. Water that falls from the sky can be harvested in many different ways for use in and around your home. The simplest systems utilize collection containers. A more comprehensive system has been designed specifically for drier climates but can be used almost anywhere. Here is an introductory video. Here is a technical guide from the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
• Conserve water in your garden. There are many techniques for conserving water in a garden, including using mulch, choosing the right time of day, the right amount of water, and the right plants. Here and here are more tips and options.
• Adopt new water conservation technologies. Here is a sample of technologies being used in households in the Middle East. Smart water technology includes leak detectors, shut-off devices, timers, new showers and faucets, and monitoring tools.
• Reduce the amount of water in the food you eat. Everything you eat has a water footprint, and some food products use much more water to produce than others. The Water Footprint Calculator will help you understand which foods to buy and which to avoid. Here is an explanation of water use in our food from Foodprint, a nonprofit organization.

Participate in watershed and wetland restoration. Restoring degraded lands, streams, and riparian areas to ecological health can increase the quantity and quality of water available downstream. If appropriate, you can implement creek and riparian restoration on your property. If you have wetlands on your property, their restoration as an opportunity to help a critical ecosystem that benefits us all. See Degraded Land Restoration Nexus, Wetlands Nexus, and Rainmakers Nexus for ideas.

Support the shift to alternative hydropower where you live. Shifting away from destructive dams and towards alternative hydro projects can conserve freshwater. If you have a body of water near your home or in your local area, installing a mini, micro, or pico hydro system could generate power for you and your wider community. Here and here are resources on how to design and build your own small-scale hydro systems. See Hydropower Nexus.

Speak up for solutions to the freshwater crisis. There are many forums where you can be heard. Write an op-ed, be vocal on social media, and share videos like this one on your social media pages.

• Support dam removals. Removing aging and obsolete dams can reconnect fragmented rivers and restore plant and animal life, which depend on these aquatic ecosystems. The largest dam removal in the history of the U.S. is underway in Oregon. Here is a citizen’s guide to dam removal that gives background information.
• Support the reintroduction of beavers. Beavers are a keystone species whose activities support thousands of plant, animal, and fish species and provide ecosystem services for humans. Their dams slow the flow of water and provide protection against floods. Beavers create and expand wetlands, which act as filters for freshwater. See Beavers Nexus.
• Support groundwater protection. Urge your local and regional governments to safeguard groundwater supplies. Here and here are ideas and a list of suggestions.
• Support wetlands. Wetlands are disappearing faster than any other type of ecosystem. Sixty percent have been lost, and the remainder are being impacted by climate change. Speak up about their protection and restoration to government and agencies. See Wetlands Nexus.
• Support the Right to Water. In 2010, the UN General Assembly recognized the right of every human being to have access to adequate amounts of clean water for personal and domestic uses.

Support groups protecting sources of freshwater, particularly in areas where water is scarce, polluted, and/or are homelands for Indigenous and traditional communities. Many organizations and agencies are working to protect and improve freshwater supplies worldwide (see Key Players below for more). Examples include:

• Water.org is a nonprofit organization that works globally to bring safe, accessible, and affordable water to people and communities through financing, such as small loans.
• Charity:water is a nonprofit that provides financial and other resources to partner organizations with the mission of ending the global water crisis.
• Here and here are lists of nonprofits involved with freshwater issues.

Learn about the challenges to freshwater in agriculture. In addition to depending on adequate levels of snow and rainfall to water their crops and animals, which is increasingly challenging under climate change with more frequent droughts and higher temperatures, farmers and ranchers must be mindful of freshwater sources in rivers and underground. Challenges include:

• Sediment. Washed off farm fields and overgrazed hillsides, sediments are a major source of agricultural water pollution. They can cause erosion, damage water delivery systems, contribute to flooding, and lower water quality.
• Irrigation over-withdrawal and groundwater pumping. Irrigated agriculture is the largest user of freshwater globally. Irrigation is often subsidized, which encourages further withdrawals. Intensive groundwater pumping depletes aquifers and causes negative environmental and economic impacts, including saltwater intrusion.
• Soil moisture. A projected decline in soil moisture in the Southwest U.S. and other areas will adversely affect crop yields and natural habitat. Globally, water stress and the loss of soil moisture are projected to increase to strain increasingly large areas of land.
• Watershed degradation. Up to 40 percent of the world’s land is degraded. The quality and quantity of freshwater available to a farm are often impacted by the condition of the watershed upstream. If that land is degraded, then impacts may be severe. See Degraded Land Restoration Nexus.
• Industrial animal agriculture. Industrially-produced beef has a large water footprint, as much as 1800 gallons per pound of meat, which includes the grain cattle fed in feedlots and CAFOS. In contrast, beef production using regenerative agriculture can lower the water footprint.
• Desertification. An advanced stage of land degradation, desertification happens when healthy ecosystems begin to break down. As plants die, so does the biology in the soil needed to maintain cycles of life, creating desert-like conditions that can become permanent. Desertification is primarily caused by human activity, including poor irrigation practices, deforestation, and overgrazing. Its consequences often make the land unsuitable for human habitation or use. See Desertification Nexus.

Employ regenerative farming and ranching practices that help conserve and restore freshwater supplies. Regenerative farming practices can prevent water evaporation from soils, increase their water-holding capacity, and improve water quality, principally by increasing the amount of soil organic matter (SOM). It is estimated that cropland in the U.S. could store an equivalent to what flows over Niagara Falls every 150 days by increasing SOM by 1 percent. However, tilling and other conventional farm practices, such as leaving the ground bare after harvest, decrease SOM, inhibiting soil’s ability to retain water. Switching to regenerative practices can restore SOM. See Regenerative Agriculture Nexus. Strategies for conserving freshwater include:

• Increasing SOM. High levels of organic matter give soil its structure and porosity, improving the amount of water that can be held by the soil. This is especially important in regions with limited rainfall. It helps crops to grow with available freshwater and reduces the need for irrigation. Using organic amendments such as manure, compost, and biochar are an effective way to increase soil organic matter. See Compost Nexus and Biochar Nexus.
• Cover crops. According to the USDA, cover crops, such as cereal rye, barley, and clover, can increase the infiltration of rainfall into the soil more than six-fold in some systems. Cover crops prevent water evaporation from soil, making more moisture available to plants immediately and in the long term, because healthy soil provides moisture during dry spells. Since 15 million out of 267 million U.S. cropland acres were planted with cover crops in 2017, there’s ample opportunity for water conservation.
• Crop diversity. The complex interactions of plant roots and soil microorganisms help increase soil’s ability to hold water. Cover crop diversity also contributed to greater moisture retention than a single crop cover species. Diversity in pastures and grasslands plant composition increases water retention and can play an essential role in restoring degraded lands and adjacent ecosystems.
• Low-till and no-till. Used in conjunction with cover crops and plant diversity, low-till and no-till practices leave fungi, earthworms, microbes, and decaying organic matter intact in the soil. The interactions between these organisms and organic materials create macro- and micro-pores in soil, which increase its capacity to hold water.
• Residue management. Crop residues that are allowed to remain on fields after harvest – as opposed to burning them – keep soil covered and cool, which helps conserve freshwater. In a study in the Mexican highlands, a combination of no-till and residue management buffered against periods of drought—resulting in higher yields than systems that used tilling and residue removal. In another study, the combination of crop residues and conservation tillage increased pore size in soil, improving water-holding capacity.
• Perennial Crops. There are over fifty perennial staple crops. The roots of perennial crops can grow 8-10 feet deep, enabling them to acquire and retain soil moisture more efficiently. This means less water use for the farm and more resilience in a drought. See Perennial Crops Nexus.
• Managed Grazing. Mimicking the “graze-and-go” behavior of native herbivores by controlling the timing, intensity, and frequency of livestock grazing improves water cycling and can increase the amount of carbon in rangeland soils, improving their function. Methods include holistic planned grazing, mob grazing, and adaptive multi-paddock grazing.
• Animal Integration. Tree crops, pasture, and livestock can be combined in mutually beneficial ways for soils (see Silvopasture Nexus). Integration can include cattle, turkeys, ducks, sheep, goats, ostriches, and llamas. Reintegrating animals into crop production can result in a variety of benefits for freshwater supplies. See Animal Integration Nexus.
• Prairie strips and riparian buffers. Strips of vegetation on cropland and buffers along streams have many beneficial effects on freshwater quality and quantity. They trap sediments, recharge groundwater, and immobilize contaminants that originate upland. Riparian vegetation stabilizes banks and reduces water temperatures.
• Drip and Microirrigation. Watering crops with drip irrigation has been an established practice in dry regions, such as Israel, for decades. Recent advances have made systems even more efficient. Netafim is a company pioneering new technology for drip and microirrigation systems.
• Technology. Numerous technologies are available to agriculture for water application and conservation, including using reclaimed water for irrigation, precision-application irrigation and irrigation scheduling tools, remote sensing, spectral radiometry to assess crop thirst, and remote sensing. Fog catchers can help collect water from fog and provide fresh water in areas where it is scarce. Here and here are more ideas.

Expand efforts to address the freshwater crisis. Civil society and nonprofit organizations are on the frontlines of the water crisis in more than 100 countries, where they help provide access to clean water and reliable sanitation, teach, train, and make funding available through micro-loans and other strategies. Their work is critical and urgent. NGOs need to find a way to expand their efforts, especially as climate change further stresses freshwater resources. A poll of water experts determined 19 consensus solutions to the freshwater crisis, including water pricing, land restoration, and improved infrastructure.

• Expand work with Indigenous groups. Water is a human right, not a commodity. River Network is an NGO that connects tribes and nonprofit organizations to protect and restore river systems in North America.

Improve management on state and federal land to improve water quality and quantity. Agencies have many tools to address the freshwater crisis, including preserving and restoring forests and wetlands, controlling point-source pollution, and encouraging regenerative agriculture. See Wetlands Nexus, Rainmakers Nexus, and Regenerative Agriculture Nexus.

• Encourage collaboration by partnering on restoration projects. Many regional, multistakeholder groups include conservation groups and agricultural producers involved in land restoration activities, such as the Western Landowners Alliance, the Quivira Coalition, and the Sage Grouse Initiative in the U.S. Partnerships with state and federal public land agencies can improve the scope and impact of many of these projects.

Reduce water use and improve water management. There are many ways a company can cut its water use and improve its management, both within its facilities and supply chain. It also makes good business sense, as this Global Water Report explains. Digital solutions are key. Actions include: 

• Reduce consumption. Smart technology, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing can precisely measure water consumption throughout a company’s supply chain. Here are fifteen companies implementing strategies to conserve freshwater and improve water security. Flume offers flow analytics at the meter for insurance companies and utilities. Simplewater connects laboratories with homes and businesses that need water testing.
• Avoid water line breaks and leakages. Deploy detectors and sensors to locate, measure, and address water leakages. Companies can also invest in artificial intelligence technologies that help predict pipe breaks, pressure changes, and other problems that could be headed off with predictive maintenance. Conservation Labs uses acoustic monitoring and machine learning to evaluate the water flow in pipes, identify anomalies, and alert building operators to potential leaks.
• Recycle wastewater wherever possible. In almost every industry, water can be reused for various purposes, including irrigation, washing, fire protection, and more. Here is a factsheet on how wastewater can be reused within a business or between several companies.
• Prevent contamination of freshwater sources. For companies that discharge water as part of their operations, it is critically important that the water not be contaminated. There are numerous strategies and technologies that businesses can utilize, including digital solutions that enable smart pumping, pH sensors, chemical and oxygen detectors, and methane detectors, among other tools.
• Invest in new technology. Look for early-stage hardware and software technologies that solve problems relating to freshwater, particularly in places where freshwater is contaminated. Solar-powered water filtration can help provide clean drinking water. Here are other examples.
• Educate your employees and local communities on the issues. Informing your employees or communities about freshwater conservation can be as simple as including information in a company newsletter, sharing it on a social site, or participating in a community meeting. Here are ideas to share from the EPA. Here is an example of how water conservation districts are using social media.
• Partner with NGOs, research institutions, and agencies. There is much to be gained from partnering with nonprofit organizations (NGOs), researchers, and agencies on ways to reduce risks related to water use, as well as strengthen communities in which companies operate, particularly in water-stressed areas. Financial support can be especially useful.
• Resist privatization of water resources. Approximately 90 percent of freshwater globally is under public control. For various reasons, including mismanagement by governmental bodies and the lure of profits, efforts to privatize water have grown in recent years. While these efforts may improve the efficiency of water management, they run a substantial risk of commodifying water at the expense of impoverished communities and nature, creating inequities that could easily jeopardize the well-being of millions of people.

Water in Plain Sight: Hope for a Thirsty World by Judith Schwartz

Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity by Sandra Postel

When Rivers Run Dry: the Defining Crisis of the Twenty-first Century by Fred Pearce

Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization by Steven Solomon

Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World by Seth Siegel

Drinking Water: a History by James Salzman

Rainwater Harvesting (2 vols) by Brad Lancaster

Water Crisis: a Short Introduction (4 mins.)

World’s Water Crisis (19 mins.)

Water Crisis: a Global Problem That’s Getting Worse (23 mins.)

The Water Crisis / National Geographic (44 mins.)

How to Fix the Water Crisis (58 mins.)

China’s Water Crisis (17 mins.)

The Fight for Water (42 mins.)

Water Doesn’t Come From a Tap (2 mins.)

Access to Clean Water in Rwanda (4 mins.)

Countdown to Day Zero: Cape Town’s Water Crisis (13 mins.)

Could the Middle East Run Out of Water? (10 mins.)

How Far Would You Walk to Find Clean Drinking Water? (2 mins.)

Overcoming Water Scarcity: Learning From Israel’s Experience (6 mins.)

The Solution to Water Scarcity Is in the Bathroom (5 mins.)

Solving the Water Problem (3 mins.)

U.S. Farms Waste a Lot of Water, But This Tech Could Help (16 mins)

Eco India: How an Army of Women in Vellore Resurrected a River (8 mins.)

From the Ground Up: Regenerative Agriculture (13 mins.)

Parched: Southwestern U.S. (13 mins.)

Thirst Gap (six-part podcast on the Colorado River)

Circle of Blue (weekly and special podcasts)

What About Water? (podcasts from the Global Institute for Water Security)

Water Scarcity (podcast series from the Council on Foreign Relations)

Water Talk (podcast series)

We All Live Downstream (podcast series)

Water Crisis on the High Plains (47 mins.)

Water Always Wins, So Why Are We Fighting It? (41 mins.)

Combatting Our Global Water Crisis Using AI (25 mins.)

Replenish: the Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity (41 mins.)