As I write this (September 15, 2010), World Water Week is finishing up in Stockholm, Sweden. This annual event, which has been going on for nearly 20 years, brings together experts on water-related issues from around the world. Through seminars and workshops, these experts exchange data, note trends, and discuss solutions to a variety of problems related to improving the quality and availability of water worldwide.

One of the points discussed in the workshops that I found noteworthy and could pertain specifically to the United States in the near future is that water shortages are not always due to water scarcity. The gist of the presentation was that even when there is plenty of water, as exists in some regions of the world, shortages still occur due to bad water management. With world population growth and the fact that people in developed as well as many developing countries are using more water per person than they were just ten years ago, careless use of this resource can have serious, long-lasting effects.

In most cases, this is a government issue, and the first concern to surface, especially here in the United States, relates to water infrastructure. Are cities and states in this country upgrading their water delivery and sewage systems? Unfortunately, in many localities, plans for updating and improving water infrastructure to better meet present and future population needs were pushed aside even when the economy was humming along. Now, with most communities strapped for cash, it is not even an issue under consideration unless an emergency exists.

Another issue presented that hits close to home regards addressing the water demands of different, often competing, sectors. Currently, global use of water is divided accordingly:
•    Agriculture: 70 percent
•    Industry: 20 percent
•    Domestic use: 10 percent

In California today, there is an ongoing tug-of-war between the water demands of agriculture and that of private industry and domestic use. But even more striking is what is happening in China. The country is facing increasingly frequent and desperate water shortages, and because government leaders often place the needs of industry over other sectors, many observers believe a crisis is looming. Already, utilities such as electricity are dimmed for residential consumers so that industry has ample supply. Will water cutoffs be next?

The point is that with increasing demands for water around the world and the possibility of more droughts due to global warming, we must become better stewards of water. We must take the time to learn about these issues and how we all can become better water stewards, because this isn’t a problem that is fixable, according to the 2,600 participants of World Water, but will not fix itself.

Klaus Reichardt is founder and CEO of Waterless Co. Inc, Vista, Calif. He is a member of U.S. Green Building Council since 1999 and the University of California Santa Barbara EcoEntrepreneur Advisory Board.