Steven Solomon's thoughts on water scarcity

Steven Solomon is a journalist who has written for the New York Times, Business Week and the Economist. He recently published a book called "Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization." The book is a comprehensive history of how various civilizations have built water projects, managed water resources and delivered these resources to the people. In short, it's about water management. I read the book this past December and enjoyed it very much.  David Zetland of Aguanomics wrote a really thorough and informative review of Steven Solomon's book. You can see his review here. Below is an excerpt from David's review:

"Although I enjoyed the historical narrative in Water, I was less-compelled by Solomon's thesis, that success and failure is determined by good water management. Yes, of course, good water management is necessary for continued success, but it is not sufficient.* Success and failure can come from many directions (poor leadership, for example). It would perhaps be more correct to claim that civilizations with good governance also manage water well".

The final section of Solomon's book is about the age of water scarcity which is a more contemporary outlook on how water policy and governance are playing out internationally. There are indeed many water challenges such as the ones he speaks about in the video above. Don't, however, be discouraged by the forthcoming challenges around water and climate change. There is a lot of work to be done. The first step is to start learning about the nature of the water problem; the second, well, I will leave that to you. Read the book if you get around to it.

Running Dry

I am from the United States (I thought I'd get that right out in the open), and hail from the arid state of New Mexico. The southwestern states are a fascinating, albeit nerve-racking, region to follow water planning- mostly because there is just not enough of that precious resource.

This article, posted on Circle of Blue a few months ago, reviews the annual meeting of the Colorado River Water Users Association (CRWUA). It provides a great review of the complexity of water issues in the southwest. The discussions and actions of this group will be crucial to follow, the ideas and solutions generated out of the planning process can inform water management world wide, especially as drought predictions creep into regions which may not be prepared.

A few thoughts (hoping for discussion!)

I am an advocate for demand side management (this kind of demand-side management), but somehow it seems demand side management has been interpreted as moving water from farms to cities. Is it a good decision to dry up our farms and accommodate growth in our cities? No farms No food, after all. I wouldn't say that this solution is all bad, if carefully thought through, implemented, and regulated, water leasing could be beneficial to all. But, the general concept seems like a slippery slope.

Though I must say that even this questionable demand-side approach beats the supply-side approach that is looming. The CRWUA did a study on augmenting the Colorado River which included mechanisms like cloud seeding, laying miles of pipe from oceans or other basins, and desalination to address supply shortfalls. Increasing the pie seems like a band-aid-to-a-bullet-wound type of solution.

If the southwestern states continue to grow, will we then continuously find new ways to augment our rivers? Where will the water come from and what are the global ramifications of this kind of modification to a complex and interconnected system?

Included in the river augmentation study are some low-tech conservation oriented solutions such as water reuse and vegetation management. They are simpler and more cost effective. Perhaps the fundamental change we need is the immediate implementation of these types of solutions with a serious evaluation of our growing consumptive use patterns.

I really look forward to seeing the results of the Colorado River Basin Supply and Demand Study (with some inevitable fears and anxieties, of course).

World Oceans Day is June 8th!

I know this is a little bit early, but I wanted to get the ball rolling on this years World Oceans Day. The "day" first started as a suggestion by Canadian delegates that attended the Rio Summit in '94. And after the world saw how Canadians celebrated their oceans, the UN decided it should be a global party! So there you have it, the unofficial history of WOD.

http://worldoceansday.org/

This year WOD is focusing on Youth: The next Wave of Change. I encourage you to check out the websites that explain WOD, and think about organizing an event of your own to celebrate. How about inviting the neighbourhood kids and their parents to your house, a local park, or community center to do a workshop on rainwater collection for garden watering! Maybe even a day of kayaking the coast or going to the closest beach to turn over rocks and look for crabs!

It's time to make our coastal areas and the oceans that connect them a priority. I'll post again about WOD closer to the day!

Welcome to The Spout!

We are pleased to announce the start of our new water blog, The Spout! The authors are from various UBC academic departments including the School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability and Civil Engineering. The idea for this blog grew out of an interest in continuing a dialogue after the completion of graduate course on water resources called Planning For Water Resources Management, taught by Professor Tony Dorcey. This blog will feature a number of diverse topics pertaining to water management and planning offering perspectives on water issues from the developing and developed world.