Water is one of the most vital resources required to sustain
life and it is a resources we often do not think about and take for granted.
Water news has been in the headlines recently, most notably in California where
they are in the midst of a four year drought and their water supply is
dwindling. Recently, Governor Jerry Brown ordered a 25% mandatory reduction in water use and agencies that do not comply
could be fined up to $10,000 per day. California has a state control board that
issues monthly statements on water conversation rates using year-over-year comparisons.
In a recent blog post in the Washington Post by Megan
Mullin, an Associate Professor of Environmental Politics at Duke University,
outlined five challenges traditional faced by local water
utilities and one of the more surprising ones to me was the
fact the traditional water management measured success by the ability to meet
not demand, not conservation.
There may need to be a change in approach as to how we view
water as a public good. It is easy to see water as an infinite resource that
costs very little. We seem to be using water faster than we can replenish our aquifers. In Minnesota,
White Bear Lake has been suffering for low lake levels in recent years for
multiple years. One of the main reasons, is the pressure on Prairie du Chien Aquifer
that provides water the White Bear Lake and six surrounding communities, that
aquifer is depleting and in the last ten years the lake has lost one quarter of
its volume. In December, a new plan was unveiled to divert water
from the Mississippi River to provide water for White Bear Lake and surrounding
communities to relieve pressure from the aquifer for a cost of $623 million.
This all leads me to this question, why is water so cheap?
In the city of Minneapolis it costs $3.37 to use 748
gallons of water. I live in an apartment in Saint Louis Park and my utilities
are included in the rent so I do not see a water bill, consequently I have no
price incentive to conserve water. So if I want to take an absurdly long shower
I can and it will not cost me any more money. In the country there is an
overall trend that the price of water is increasing but it may
not be enough secure safe water in the future.
Cities and States are only forced to deal with this issue in
times of severe drought or exceptional circumstances. However, this is an issue may become more
commonplace as more pressure is put on out aquifers and the impacts of climate
change are realized. National Public Radio’s Marketplace is currently doing a
series called The High Price
of Cheap I would encourage everyone to explore that
series it is very interesting. The first part of series examined Waukesha, Wisconsin and how they went
from abundant pristine drinking water to fighting over the right to divert
water from Lake Michigan.
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