Water is a powerful, terrifying force that can be as dreadful as it is wonderful. Flooding is the power of water unleashed with deadly consequences. Flooding can cause serious injuries and fatalities while also leaving danger and damage behind even after floodwaters have receded. Floods can knock out infrastructure causing power and gas outages; pollute drinking water systems with debris, chemicals like pesticides, and runoff from other sources; damage homes, commercial or civic buildings, animal habitats, and roads; and cause other environmental problems like landslides and mudslides. Floods do have a beauty to them, however, as they can replenish underground water sources, carry nutrients into surrounding land, boost fish stocks, trigger migrations, and replenish wetlands. Most of these positive effects only occur with seasonal flooding and cannot always be expected of the rise in flooding due to climate change.  

Water conservation is the careful use and preservation of earth’s freshwater supply. Water is essential for all life, but between the growing population, poor water management, pollution, and climate change, good, healthy water is becoming a precious commodity. Only 3% of the earth’s limited water supply is freshwater with 2.5% being found in glaciers, ice caps, soil, or the atmosphere, and only 0.5% available and suitable for drinking. Drinking water supplies can be polluted by untreated sewage in rural areas; salts, fertilizers, and pesticides from irrigated land; and sewage being dumped into water supplies and industry-related pollution from mining and manufacturing. The most practical solution is to reuse and recycle water on a larger scale, as filtration and disinfection can make water safe for consumption again. On a more personal scale, water conservation in daily life helps with water supply and availability, especially in drought-ridden areas. Conserving water saves energy, lessens carbon footprints, and keeps more water in the environment. Different ways to save water in the home include limiting the rinse water when washing dishes by hand, checking for and fixing leaks, turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth, taking shorter showers, using a high-efficiency washer, avoiding watering the lawn on windy days so all the water makes it to your plants, and overall being mindful of when you leave a tap running.