The Need for Water Efficiency - It's All Around Us
It seems that only a few years ago a magazine devoted to “water efficiency” would have been an esoteric dream. Today it helps frame the debate on how we will manage our finite water supplies. The world’s population is expected to increase by 50% to 9 billion by 2050. At the same time, the population of the United States will be approaching 420 million. A straight-line estimate would predict a proportional 50% increase in water demand. Clearly this is a trend that cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Eighty percent of developed water supplies are used for irrigation. The national per-capita average use of public water supplies is 183 gallons per day. Given the estimated 138 million new people who will reside in the US by 2050, the daily demand for potable water will increase by over 25 billion gallons. The only reasonable way to meet this challenge will be to improve water efficiency through applied technology.
The world recognizes that we are running out of usable water. We now have investment funds with entire portfolios dedicated to companies in the business of water. Those who have predicted the next war would be fought over water, rather than oil, may have foretold the future as captains of the industry now invest oil wealth in water resources.
Water is a shared and limited resource. Improving efficiency in one area can and does reduce demand in another. The environment has emerged as an equal player in dividing up the world’s water pie. In the past, whatever water was left over after diversion to agriculture and municipal supplies remained to support local fish and wildlife. The rules have now changed abruptly.
A case in point concerning the new role of the environment in the allocation (or reallocation) of water resources can be seen in a recent court settlement to restore salmon runs to the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River in central California. Since the damming of the river near the town of Friant in the 1940s, water was diverted to provide some or all of the irrigation needs to 15,000 farms in the region. This diversion also created approximately 60 miles of dry riverbed, which prohibited salmon from reaching their historic spawning grounds.
The settlement requires that 19% (242,000 acre-feet) of the average water supply used to irrigate agricultural crops will be released into the river channel to support migrating salmon. The need for improved water efficiency in conveyance, distribution, and management is easy to see.
Landscape irrigation has also become a target for water efficiency. The Smart Water Application Technology program initiated by the Irrigation Association is designed to identify equipment that qualifies as water efficient. Labeling will help consumers select products that efficiently use water for irrigation, similar to the EPA’s Energy Star program. Widespread adoption of “smart” controllers has the potential to save 20% to 30% of applied water by reducing deep percolation and runoff in the landscaped area.
Bringing concepts to commercial reality has always been a challenge to improving water efficiency. The International Center for Water Technology (ICWT) at California State University, Fresno, was established as a public-private partnership dedicated to the development and application of advanced technologies that enhance water use for urban, environmental, and agricultural purposes. Through applied technology, ICWT’s goal is to provide efficient first use and effective reuse of water supplies worldwide.
Water innovation can play an important role in stimulating economic growth and workforce development in the US. The concept is to take creative “ideas” that come from either academic or business entrepreneurs in water technology and support their development into commercial or expanded businesses operations. At any given time, five companies will be housed on the Fresno State campus for a period of 18 to 36 months. During this time, expert services are provided at a nominal cost to enhance the likelihood of commercial success.
For those wishing to learn more about water efficiency through applied technology, the inaugural International Water Technology Conference is slated for April 2–4, 2007 in Fresno, CA. The focus will be on water technology and its applications in water supply, water reuse, and irrigation. This important event will bring end users, manufacturers, and innovators together to discuss a wide range of needs, applications, and experiences. By doing so, we can advance the rate of change in the race to protect and manage our precious water supplies.
Advertisement
The conference is looking for participants as speakers, sponsors, and/or attendees. In addition to the technical sessions, an area will be dedicated to exhibitors and poster sessions. The third day of the program is optional and designed for technical tours of local facilities. For those interested in learning more about the event, please visit www.icwt.net.
In closing, it is projected that the water industry alone will exceed $400 billion in worldwide revenue in 2007. Sales in the US water technology market are expected to exceed $150 billion by 2010. It is estimated that nearly 1 billion people worldwide are denied access to clean drinking water. The United Nations Populations Fund projects that if the current rate of water consumption continues, in 2025 5 billion of the world’s 7.9 billion people will live in areas of scarce safe drinking-water supplies. The demand for water efficiency is unprecedented.
Author's Bio: David F. Zoldoske is director of the International Center for Water Technology and past president of the Irrigation Association.
November-December 2006
The Need for Water Efficiency - It's All Around Us
It seems that only a few years ago a magazine devoted to “water efficiency” would have been an esoteric dream. Today it helps frame the debate on how we will manage our finite water supplies. The world’s population is expected to increase by 50% to 9 billion by 2050. At the same time, the population of the United States will be approaching 420 million. A straight-line estimate would predict a proportional 50% increase in water demand. Clearly this is a trend that cannot be sustained indefinitely.
Eighty percent of developed water supplies are used for irrigation. The national per-capita average use of public water supplies is 183 gallons per day. Given the estimated 138 million new people who will reside in the US by 2050, the daily demand for potable water will increase by over 25 billion gallons. The only reasonable way to meet this challenge will be to improve water efficiency through applied technology.
The world recognizes that we are running out of usable water. We now have investment funds with entire portfolios dedicated to companies in the business of water. Those who have predicted the next war would be fought over water, rather than oil, may have foretold the future as captains of the industry now invest oil wealth in water resources.
Water is a shared and limited resource. Improving efficiency in one area can and does reduce demand in another. The environment has emerged as an equal player in dividing up the world’s water pie. In the past, whatever water was left over after diversion to agriculture and municipal supplies remained to support local fish and wildlife. The rules have now changed abruptly.
A case in point concerning the new role of the environment in the allocation (or reallocation) of water resources can be seen in a recent court settlement to restore salmon runs to the upper reaches of the San Joaquin River in central California. Since the damming of the river near the town of Friant in the 1940s, water was diverted to provide some or all of the irrigation needs to 15,000 farms in the region. This diversion also created approximately 60 miles of dry riverbed, which prohibited salmon from reaching their historic spawning grounds.
The settlement requires that 19% (242,000 acre-feet) of the average water supply used to irrigate agricultural crops will be released into the river channel to support migrating salmon. The need for improved water efficiency in conveyance, distribution, and management is easy to see.
Landscape irrigation has also become a target for water efficiency. The Smart Water Application Technology program initiated by the Irrigation Association is designed to identify equipment that qualifies as water efficient. Labeling will help consumers select products that efficiently use water for irrigation, similar to the EPA’s Energy Star program. Widespread adoption of “smart” controllers has the potential to save 20% to 30% of applied water by reducing deep percolation and runoff in the landscaped area.
Bringing concepts to commercial reality has always been a challenge to improving water efficiency. The International Center for Water Technology (ICWT) at California State University, Fresno, was established as a public-private partnership dedicated to the development and application of advanced technologies that enhance water use for urban, environmental, and agricultural purposes. Through applied technology, ICWT’s goal is to provide efficient first use and effective reuse of water supplies worldwide.
Water innovation can play an important role in stimulating economic growth and workforce development in the US. The concept is to take creative “ideas” that come from either academic or business entrepreneurs in water technology and support their development into commercial or expanded businesses operations. At any given time, five companies will be housed on the Fresno State campus for a period of 18 to 36 months. During this time, expert services are provided at a nominal cost to enhance the likelihood of commercial success.
For those wishing to learn more about water efficiency through applied technology, the inaugural International Water Technology Conference is slated for April 2–4, 2007 in Fresno, CA. The focus will be on water technology and its applications in water supply, water reuse, and irrigation. This important event will bring end users, manufacturers, and innovators together to discuss a wide range of needs, applications, and experiences. By doing so, we can advance the rate of change in the race to protect and manage our precious water supplies.
The conference is looking for participants as speakers, sponsors, and/or attendees. In addition to the technical sessions, an area will be dedicated to exhibitors and poster sessions. The third day of the program is optional and designed for technical tours of local facilities. For those interested in learning more about the event, please visit www.icwt.net.
In closing, it is projected that the water industry alone will exceed $400 billion in worldwide revenue in 2007. Sales in the US water technology market are expected to exceed $150 billion by 2010. It is estimated that nearly 1 billion people worldwide are denied access to clean drinking water. The United Nations Populations Fund projects that if the current rate of water consumption continues, in 2025 5 billion of the world’s 7.9 billion people will live in areas of scarce safe drinking-water supplies. The demand for water efficiency is unprecedented.