Water, water, everywhere? why are so many taps running dry? (News Special).

Kirby Hoefer's family has farmed the land a round Elgin, Nebraska, for more than a century. "This year we raised alfalfa, corn, and soybeans," says Kirby, 13, proudly. "Had one of the best crops in the area."

Besides rich soil and their own dawn-to-dusk work, the Hoefers have a hidden ally on the family farm.

"We're set right on the Ogallala Aquifer," says Alvin Hoefer, Kirby's dad. The aquifer is a vast layer of water-retaining (holding) gravel that lies beneath Nebraska and seven other Midwestern states. Rainwater seeps into the gravel and is stored as groundwater.

The Hoefers use this groundwater to irrigate their crops. "We have [plenty of] water," says Alvin Hoefer. "But I can see where [it] will become an issue in the years to come. We have a responsibility to conserve water for the future."

Drying Up

In many countries, that future is now. The world's growing population is tapping an increasingly limited supply of freshwater (see graph, p. 8).

Already, about 1.1 billion people worldwide--most of them in Asia and Africa--do not have access to safe drinking water. A staggering 2.4 billion people live in homes that do not have adequate (satisfactory) plumbing.

Each year, hundreds of millions of people develop water-related diseases such as malaria and cholera. Of these, more than 5 million--many of them children--die.

Why is water in such short supply? Recent droughts and an evergrowing demand for water have changed the landscape. The Aral Sea in Asia, Africa's Lake Chad, and the Great Lakes in North America, for example, are so overused that they are shrinking.

Last year, after nine years of drought, even the Rio Grande, the giant river that flows between Texas and Mexico, dried up before reaching the Gulf of Mexico. About 100,000 taps ran dry in one Mexican city for several days.

Such problems are not going away. Scientists and environmental experts warn that humans are not doing enough to guarantee clean water supplies for the future.

"I believe water is the biggest environmental issue we face in the 21st century," says Christie Todd Whitman, head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A Source of Conflict

A glance at the globe shows that we live on a watery planet. But nearly 97 percent of the world's water is undrinkable: It is saltwater in oceans and seas. Another 2 percent is frozen in polar ice sheets and glaciers. Only the remaining 1 percent is freshwater, which flows mostly in lakes, rivers, and groundwater.

That supply was once adequate for the world's needs. But dwindling resources have led to tensions between neighboring countries.

"Fierce competition for freshwater may well become a source of conflict and wars," says Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations (UN).

In the arid Middle East, for example, Lebanon wants to pump water for its parched (dry) towns from the Wazzani River, which borders Lebanon and Israel. But Israel also wants the water. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned last summer that the dispute could lead to war between the two nations.

Water Drain

How can we solve our water shortage? After all, we have a rapidly growing population, increased water usage per person, and a planet that is less and less able to clean and restore its water systems.

The world's population is now more than 6.2 billion. That number is expected to grow to 9.1 billion by 2050. Additional people, of course, will mean a greater demand for water and more pollution.

Because of modern industry and agriculture, the average person is using more freshwater than ever. Farms gulp down 70 percent of all freshwater used, industry 20 percent, and households about. 10 percent.

A recent study by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) found that in the U.S. and other nations, development is harming the land's ability to replenish (replace) water supplies. According to the report, roads, parking lots, and other construction projects divert rainwater from the earth.

On unpaved land, rainwater seeps through plants and soil to replenish groundwater. The process also helps filter out pollutants.

When an area is paved over, however, "polluted water runs right off into storm sewers and then into waterways," explains NRDC director Nancy Stoner.

The NRDC's report estimates that Atlanta, Georgia, for example. loses at least 57 billion gallons of groundwater a year due to development. That's enough water to fill 225,185 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Restoring Balance

Students at Oberon Middle School in Arvada, Colorado, have worked to take an acre back from such development. Over the past several years, Oberon students have transformed a parking lot into a wetland (marsh).

Normally, this "outdoor classroom" would have a pond with fish and frogs. But this year's drought dried up the pond.

Still, the relationship between land and water is clear to students, says Chuck Clark, a teacher at Oberon. Tests show that rainwater running into the wetland from the school's parking lots carries pollutants. But the water that flows out from the wetland is much cleaner.

The students have also learned that new technology can help in the cleaning process. Many cities operate water-treatment plants to recycle water. And in some dry coastal regions of the world, countries are building desalination plants. The plants convert (change) saltwater into freshwater. But the process is costly.

Environmentalists view projects like Oberon's wetland as better, more efficient alternatives. "Nature does a very good job if we give her a little help," says Stoner.

"We need to be thinking about these things now," she adds, "finding a proper balance between our needs and supply." Otherwise, the Earth's future may dry up.

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RELATED ARTICLE: FAST FACT: The United Nations estimates that water shortages will affect half of the world's population by 2032.

FAST FACT: The population increase projected over the next 35 years will require an amount of water equal to 20 Nile rivers or 97 Colorado rivers.

FAST FACT: Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth saves 3 to 5 gallons per minute.

Your Turn

WORD MATCH

1. adequate

2. retaining

3. wetland

4. parched

5. replenish

A. dry

B. replace

C. holding

D. marsh

E. satisfactory

THINK ABOUT IT

What can you and your town do to conserve water?

OBJECTIVES

Students should understand:

* Many people around the world lack access to freshwater, an essential natural resource;

* Scientists worry that our rapidly increasing world population will further strain our decreasing supplies of freshwater.

TEACHING STRATEGY

Ask your students to think about how freshwater is used in your area. Is there enough water for everyone? Tell students that 1 billion of the Earth's people do not have access to clean water. Now ask your students to imagine how they would survive in such conditions.

BACKGROUND

Many people think that desalinization--removing salt from seawater--is the best way to meet the world's growing demands for freshwater. But desalinization is very expensive and requires vast amounts of energy. Most scientists believe conservation and improved water management will save more water for the future.

THINKING SKILLS

COMPREHENSION: Where is the world's largest supply of freshwater? (Most of the planet's supply of freshwater is frozen in the polar ice sheets and glaciers.)

CAUSE AND EFFECT: How can the availability of freshwater influence the relationship between two countries? (Competition for freshwater is increasing, and neighboring countries must work together to distribute water supplies.)

ACTIVITY

WATER AROUND THE WORLD: According to the United Nations, 80 countries have suffered serious water shortages within the last 10 years. Ask students to research which areas face the most serious threat of water shortages (see Skills Master 1, p. T-6) and report ways each community can conserve water for the future.

STANDARDS

SOCIAL STUDIES, GRADES 5-8

* Global connections: How many of the Earth's people lack sufficient supplies of freshwater due to global drought, over-development, and a growing world population.

* People, places, and environment: How this lack of water can result in unsanitary conditions, disease, and death.

RESOURCES

PRINT

* Cone, Molly, Come Back Salmon: How a Group of Dedicated Kids Adopted Pigeon Creek and Brought It Back to Life (Sierra Club, 1994). Grades 5-8.

* Morgan, Sally, Water for All (Scholastic, 2000). Grades 5-8.

WEB SITES

* Water in Africa

www.peacecorps.gov/wws/water/africa/index.html

* Water Science for Schools

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/index.html

Answers

1. E

2. C

3. D

4. A

5. B

1. 4.4 million gallons per capita 

2. 1.1 million gallons per capita

3. Yes, As the population increases, the amount of available water decreases.