Ashley Hyde

Jessica Frogley

English 2010

Research Report

10, December, 2011

Western States and Water Shortages

Sustainability of water in the Western United states is of paramount importance for the

survival of living beings. The role of water in sustainability can be compared to role of the heart

in the human body. Water is used commercially, domestically, industrially and for irrigation

purposes. Hence, it plays a central role as the life support system. Shortage of water means

complete stagnation of all commercial, domestic and industrial activities. Water is nature’s most

precious resource. In other words, water permeates life on Earth. Increasing industrialization

and agricultural usage has taken a great toll upon reservoir of fresh water. Since the 1950s, every

decade has witnessed more water scarcity due to withdrawals by humans. The goal is to provide

a sustainable future to contribute to the quality of life.

The water problems involve both quality and quantity. Water resource experts in western

states are finding it increasingly difficult to satisfy new and competing demands for water.

Particularly in light of rapid population growth. Western states are experiencing large population

percentage changes. According to the 2000 Census Bureau statistics, population growth varied

significantly by region in the 1990s, with the highest rates in the West 19.7 percent. The West

increased by 10.4 million to reach 63.2 million people. Because of differences in growth rates,

the regional shares of the total population have shifted considerably in recent decades. Between

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1950 and 2000, the percentage of the Nation’s population living in the West increased from 13.3

to 22.5 percent. More recently, from 2004 to 2005, five of the six fastest growing states were:

Arizona 3.5%; Nevada 3.5%; Idaho 2.4%; Utah 2.0% and Texas 1.7%. Other western states are

not far behind Colorado 1.4%, Oregon 1.4%, New Mexico 1.3% and Washington 1.3%

(census.gov). Surprisingly, many of these states are also the driest states in the Nation.

There are restrictions for water in the United States. The Clean Water Act (CWA) was

established to regulate the input of pollution into the water of the United States. The act made it

unlawful to discharge any pollution into water unless a permit is obtained by the Environmental

Protection Agency. Jennifer Weeks a CQ Researcher contributing writer in Watertown, Mass.,

who specializes in energy and environmental issues states that the A 2009 New York Times

investigation found that after several decades of cracking down on water pollution, CWA

violations were rising once again. The New York Times estimated that between 2004 and 2009,

one in 10 Americans had been exposed to drinking water that contained dangerous chemicals or

failed to meet other federal health standards(Weeks). This is a big issue in the United States.

People are becoming more entitled when it come to water.

The most frequent view of the environment is that natural resource, such as water, is

valuable only if it is useful to humans. The consequence of this philosophy is degraded

ecosystem and diminishing biodiversity. Many regions place few limits on groundwater

pumping for residential wells, irrigation and other uses. Economists favor charging more for

water in summer, when people use water for nonessential purposes like washing their cars, over

watering lawns and filling swimming pools (Weeks). New uses to accommodate growth must

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largely rely on water obtained from changes to existing uses of surface and ground water, with

limited opportunities to develop new supplies.

Water scarcity is a reality in much of the Western states. To have allowed growth to

continue people have relied on reservoir storage, transbasin diversions, which is the conveyance

of water from its natural drainage basin into another basin for beneficial use, ground water

development, and water right transfers. It is becoming an issue due to the fact that these options

will not be sustainable in the near future. Third party’s and other direct has an impact on of water

transfers, water conservation, declining rural economies based on irrigation, dwindling surface

and ground water supplies and other water use related changes, as well as growing in stream

water demands for environmental and recreational uses, are all redefining the quality of life in

the West.

However, in some states, for the first time legal and physical limits are appearing on the

planning horizon. Economist have proposed the introduction to water markets to improve the

distribution efficiency of water resources in the West (Kling. 278). In the future, water may not

be able to sustain unlimited growth and still maintain the current quality of life.

The government would have to spend more than $250 billion in the next several years to

modernize water systems in cities to make them more sustainable and suitable for growth

(Weeks). The goal is to address and overcome the major challenges facing water systems in the

Western United States that are sustainable from economic, political, institutional and equitable

perspectives. States have spent little to no time addressing the fundamental question of what

defines an effective water system. The measurement of any of natures resources is a crucial

challenge. Experts are helping to identify broad goals for western water sustainability systems

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also how the goals can be realistically met. The social, economic and environmental results are

important and sometimes are not well understood. Growth is also occurring in agricultural areas

where key water resources are often fragile and scarce. Natural amenities of the West are being

subdivided and displaced. Ironically, these natural elements are key factors attracting the very

population movement which is destroying them. All this is raising concerns related to

sustainability.

Currently, Utah alone consumes about 260 gallons per person per day(usgs.gov), second

only to Nevada and California doubles that number. If Utahans can reduce per capita

consumption of water 25 percent by 2050, they will conserve the equivalent of over 500,000 acre

feet of water per year. That is more water than can be held in Jordanelle Reservoir and Deer

Creek Reservoir combined, and more than any water project in Utah has developed.

So where does the water come from? Rivers, streams, reservoirs, and lakes constitute the

surface water portion of the freshwater supply, and in most cases, flow and quantities of water in

storage can be measured. Ground water is present in aquifers at varying depths, but only water

near the land surface (less than 2,000 feet) realistically is available for use(usgs.gov). Most of

the total annual flow of water in the lower Colorado River Basin originates upstream of Glen

Canyon Damn located in northern Arizona. As a result of natural run off from precipitin and

melting snow from Utah, Colorado and Wyoming(usbr.gov)

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What is the water used for in the Western United States? There are eight specific categories that

are considered high usage of water; aquaculture, mining, public supply, domestic, industrial,

thermoelectric power, live stock and irrigation.

Thermoelectric freshwater withdrawals accounted for 49 percent of all freshwater

withdrawals. Nearly all the water withdrawn for thermoelectric power was surface water used for

once-through cooling at power plants. Twenty-nine percent of thermoelectric-power withdrawals

were saline water from oceans and brackish coastal water bodies. Irrigation withdrawals

accounted for 31 percent of all freshwater withdrawals and 62 percent of all freshwater

withdrawals excluding thermoelectric withdrawals. The number of acres irrigated using sprinkler

Aquaculture Domestic Industrial Live Stock IrrigationMining Public Supply Thermoelectic Power

49%

11%1%

31%

1%4%1%2%

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and micro irrigation systems has continued to increase and in 2005 accounted for 56 percent of

the total irrigated acreage. Public supply accounted for 11 percent of all freshwater withdrawals

in 2005 and 21 percent of all freshwater withdrawals excluding thermoelectric withdrawals.

Most of the population providing their own household water obtained their supplies from

groundwater sources. Livestock water use was estimated to be the smallest estimate. Fresh

surface water was the source for a majority of the public-supply, irrigation, aquaculture,

thermoelectric, and industrial withdrawals. Nearly 30 percent of all fresh surface-water

withdrawals in 2005 occurred in five States. In California, Idaho, and Colorado, most of the fresh

surface-water withdrawals were for irrigation. In Texas and Illinois, most of the fresh surface

water withdrawals were for thermoelectric power generation(usgs.gov)

Methods of Research:

In doing research on the topic of sustainability of natural resources the results were

almost too broad for this research report. The topic had to be narrowed down to a one single

natural resource from land, oil or water. Giving it that a lot comes into play when you are

researching something so valuable in the world of nature. Water resources permeates every

angle of life form. Without water the living creatures on this earth would not exist. Narrowing

these down to one was not a difficult to do for this report.

The methods used for doing research on the topic sustainability of water in the western

United States included a variety of online sources. Using Salt Lake Community Colleges online

school databases search engines such as CQ Researcher, JSTOR and ESCOhost as helpful

starters. The results were limited when using key words such as sustainability, water, and pair of

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words like natural resources, and over population. Many finding were academic journals and

online publications of water resources.

Some results on water went better than others. Most findings about sustainability of

water were predominately about pollution and the availability of clean usable water sources in

the United States in whole, not just the western section. Most of the information found was

about the global problem with water and its availability thorough ought the nation, this was still

too broad for the report. Obviously water scarcity has been an issue for many years, that is not

getting any better. Demand for fresh water is increasing with every passing day and the water

levels across the western united States are coming down. There are signs of stress on all water

resources. The information used in this report came from local annual government reports,

journals, and environmental agencies through the western United States.

Good earth keeping describes a process which enables people to understand the

interdependence of all life and the repercussions of their own actions and decisions. Now, in the

future, globally as well as locally. Together, people are helping to identify the broad goals for

sustainable water systems and define some goals that can serve as indicators for making progress

toward sustainability.

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Work Cite

1. U.S Census Bureau. The 2012 Statstical Abstract. 13 Oct 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2011

2. Weeks, Jennifer. “Water Shortages.” CQ Researcher, 18 June 2010: 529-52. CQ Researcher.

Web 4 Sept 2011

3. Kling, Catherine,. Wilen, James E,. Weinberg, Marca. “Water Marks and Water Quality.” JSTOR, Vol. 75. American Journal of Agricultural Economics, May 1993. Web. 5 Dec. 2011

4. Kenny, J.F., Barber, N.L., Hutson, S.S., Linsey, K.S., Lovelace, J.K., and Maupin, M.A., “Estimated use of water in the United States in 2005” U.S. Geological Survey Circular. 1344, 52 p. Web. 8 Dec. 2011

5. Colleen Dwyer, U.S Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation. 2005 March. Web. 8

Dec. 2011

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