Photo: Andrzej Barabasz (Chepry)
In the U.S., Australia and Canada, an interesting opportunity for water management exists that can become of great value to the world as whole. It's not so much that it is a novel idea as it is a creative application of an existing idea. What makes it work in these countries is the particular geography which they have in common.
An Unbalanced Situation
The eastern U.S. is blessed with abundant supplies of water. In the north, there are the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world. There are rivers and streams flowing out of the Appalachians and lots of underground aquifers. Rains are plentiful and the water delivery to municipalities is relatively efficient.
In the western U.S. the situation is not so rosy. There, the rainfall is annually far less and is prone to long periods of dry spells, leading to droughts. Though there are rivers and aquifers, they are less plentiful and in the absence of abundant rains, the discharge is greater than the recharge.
This unbalanced situation of abundant quantities in one area and not enough in another is not unique to the U.S. It is also true of Australia, Canada and many other nations of the world. It is also true of the world as a whole, where abundant supplies of water in temperate latitudes exist, opposite to the dry conditions of the world's deserts.
Photo: Diliff
Balancing the Act
One suggestion, floated by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) is to establish a system of Water Offsets, similar to those used in Carbon Offsets. The ideas is to transfer water from abundant areas to places where it is less abundant through technology and the universal exchange of money.
Users of water where it is abundant, such as the Eastern U.S., can purchase a certificate based upon how much water they intend to consume. The current certificate costs US$ 1 per 1000 gallons consumed. The money from the certificates is given over to administrations in areas where water is in low supply. This provides capital for technology that can be used to recover water that would otherwise be lost.
The project may sound far fetched. However, even as a voluntary program, it has shown success. Windmer's Bros. Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, has purchased certificates for 8 million gallons of water. Two other big contributors include Big Sky Brewing of Missoula, Montana and Eco Teas of Ashland, Oregon. All told, the project so far has recovered over 4 billion. That's equivalent to 7 hours of water fall over Niagara Falls (You Can Now Buy Water Offsets).
Photo: Bruno de Giusti
Projects and Technologies
Large projects for water recovery include water reclamation strategies, stream diversion projects, aqueducts, aquifer recharging and snow melt recovery. More radical projects include water mining and municipal desalination facilities. The idea is to use the technologies to capture overabundant water in one area, and use it to reclaim water in another, using the capital generated by the certificates.
However, smaller technologies can also be used. Modest dehumidifiers or rain capture facilities can capture water for municipal gardens. Storm and sewage run-off might be diverted and treated for use in municipal parks. As these waters are tapped, less water from naturally occurring streams and aquifers is required (BEF Builds New Model for Water Offsets).
The key is to provide incentives. This is where the Water Offset Certificates make the difference. They provide motivation for savings and cash for projects.
For more information see: "Water Offset Projects", "Water Offsets", and "Water Offsets: Real, Beneficial and Here".
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