For
posting 3/6/2009
Very
interesting article from the October issue of Building Design &
Construction regarding future water concerns. Read what the experts
say:
October
1, 2008 - Building Design and Construction (BD+C)
Daniel
W. McCarthy
is president and CEO of Black & Veatch's global water business,
based in Kansas City, Mo. He joined the firm in 1976 and has been a
member of its board of directors since 2006. He has served as a board
member of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, as an advisory
group member for Singapore International Water Week, as chair of the
Water Environment Federation's International Program Committee, and
as a board member of the American Water Works Association. He holds
civil engineering degrees from Iowa State University and the
University of Kansas.
BD+C:
How bad is the global water situation?
Dan
McCarthy:
The magnitude varies geographically, but as we see population grow
and shift, it ends up being in areas that are water scarce—the
Southwest and Southeast U.S., North Africa, the Mideast, parts of
China. We're in a crisis mode in areas where people are moving or
predicted to move.
In the
area of climate change or climate shift, we're going to see longer
periods of drought, counteracted with more frequent flooding events.
The predictability of the water supply is being challenged by Mother
Nature.
Along
the coasts, including the U.S., the question of sea level rise raises
the issue of overuse of coastal aquifer systems. When that saltwater
moves inland and gets into the aquifer, wells along the coast will
start mining brackish water, and the type of [water] treatment will
have to shift to make it potable.
You're
seeing that happening right now in South Florida, where there is
pressure on coastal communities to reuse water, perhaps treating
wastewater effluent to some sort of drinking standard, or putting it
back into the aquifer, or thinking about desalination.
BD+C:
How realistic is desalination?
DWM:
From a technical standpoint, there's no reason why desalination
shouldn't be a part of the water portfolio along the coasts. In
Australia, Singapore, China, South America, Spain, there are plenty
of examples showing it can be done in an environmentally friendly
way. There is a high cost for the energy component—that's the
biggest obstacle. The technology is improving, and commercialization
and innovation will make it more viable. For security reasons, we
should also think of it as a backup if traditional sources became
challenged.
BD+C:
How bad is the nation's water infrastructure?
DWM:
The backlog of infrastructure is in the billions, according to a Booz
Allen Hamilton report. Every major city in the U.S. has a tremendous
backlog. It comes down to the value of water. If it's cheaper to fix
the leak than to produce more water, then that will be the driver. It
will be a daunting challenge for these older cities to pay for the
upgrades to their systems and pass along those costs to the true
customer base.
BD+C:
What are the major threats to the water supply?
DWM:
There's a water quality threat due to continuing pollution; for
example, dealing with pharmaceuticals and other products in water is
really a wastewater system issue and the aquatic system can be
affected by it.
On the
supply side, we need to do a lot of what-if's: What if there are
longer droughts, higher intensity storms, etc.? Those are the things
that traditional thinking has not supplied a good answer for.
The
EPA's WaterSense program [which labels products by their water
efficiency] is a good idea. We need to do more demand-side management
to address usage. In the U.S., we use about twice the average amount
of water as they do in Europe.
BD+C:
Do you think there will be “water wars”?
DWM:
In the West, 15 or 16 years ago, there were water wars over the
Colorado River. They agreed on how to share the excess water, but
then they found that they had a deficit in what the basin could
produce. So now the seven states have agreed on an augmentation plan
to facilitate the expansion of what's available in that part of the
world. That's an example of regional cooperation. When you look at
areas of world that have dealt with this, they have used regional
solutions.
Water
competition is going to be much more intense around the world, and it
will become more of a federal issue in the U.S.
BD+C:
Why at the federal level?
DWM:
The challenge is that one size does not fit all. What's critical in
one part of the country isn't as critical in another. There needs to
be a basic framework at the federal level. For example, low-flush
toilets were mandated at the federal level [in the 1992 Energy Policy
Act].
Water is
always a local issue, so at the federal level, [policy] should help
facilitate local initiatives—permits, interstate compacts, taking a
look at old regulations and laws that are impeding stakeholders.
BD+C:
What's your advice to AEC Building Teams about water?
DWM:
Utilize more-sustainable solutions in their designs—water-efficient
landscaping, gray water systems, water reuse, rainwater harvesting,
and water reuse at the neighborhood level.
End
of Article
Wow,
what more can we say. Forget about the “save the whales” bumper
stickers for now, we need “save our water” ones!
For
more information, visit Wesley's website wesleyconstruction.com
or call me, Charles Braznell at 561 741 2963 x 11.
