What is the US water crisis?
• Right here in the U.S. we face severe and rapidly escalating water problems. • Demand in the U.S. has tripled in the past 30 years while the population has grown only 50% (Goldman Sachs) • Up to $1 trillion is needed to rebuild America’s aging water infrastructure (Goldman Sachs) • Over 80% of US waterways are contaminated by medications (US Geological Survey) • Over 50% of America’s groundwater is polluted (CNN) • States and cities are unprepared for water challenges that are only expected to grow more severe: in 2007, 40% of states suffered droughts and over 70% of states will incur water shortages by 2013 (EPA) • Major water sources for millions of Americans are in jeopardy: there is a 50% chance that Lake Mead, a key source of water for 25 million people or approximately 10% of the US population, will run dry by 2021 (Scripps Institute) • Over the last 25 years, droughts have killed more Americans than any other U.S. weather disaster and have caused $150 billion in damage nationa
