Our Water Crisis

Scientists are warning that raging brush fires could become routine. Florida is running out of water to meet the needs of its growing population. New England water reserves are reaching record lows. Atlanta's main water supply may run dry in a few months. Boat ramps are becoming surrounded by dry land and streams are disappearing. Even the mighty Great Lakes are seeing historically low levels.

A leading scientist quoted in a recent New York Times feature commented on the long-term effects of a prolonged drought, "There's a two-thirds chance there will be a disaster, and that's in the best scenario."

According to the National Climate Data Center, 2007 is on-track to be the warmest year on record. 43 percent of the United States is suffering from moderate to extreme drought.

Click here for the latest drought report from the NCDC.

The typically moist Deep South is currently experiencing a severe drought, but ironically, south Texas is suffering from record rainfall and flooding. Despite the bounty of water in some areas, the water crisis is only expected to worsten. Continued development is leaving little land to store water or to replenish aquifers. Billions of gallons of fresh water are diverted downstream and into the oceans in an effort to control flooding.

In the past, we have been able to create civilization wherever we wished; in the rugged mountains or in the scorching desert. Engineering miracles provided cheap power and abundant water to transform the most inhospitable areas. Now we may find that our complete victory over nature has been only temporary, and climate and geography once more have a voice regarding which places are livable.

Even if the winter rains and snows bring some relief, water availability is expected to be an increasingly important issue to find throughout the 21st century.