User:Aharri1986/sandbox

= Water Resource Management in the U.S. = There are abundant water resources in the United States, but they are not equally distributed over the vast landscape that the United States covers, and due to human involvement and natural occurrences many of these resources have been rendered unusable due to contamination. Other resources have gone baron or are losing viability due to overuse and drought throughout the southeast and west coast. These resources are now monitored under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). Also, there are measures being taken to divert water to these developed areas though it is not without conflict.

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)
The safe Drinking water act was passed in 1974. It is a series of statutes enforced by the EPA that set federal standards for potable water.

Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL's)
Maximum contaminant levels establish the concentration of a chemical that can be sent out in potable water. This covers chemicals added to water in the treatment process and naturally occurring.

Corrosion Protection
The SDWA also requires that there be a system in place for corrosion control. It is now illegal to put any lead into the ground, but much of the old water infrastructure has lead (which is toxic) in the joints and other non-toxic metals in the pipe material that can cause unsightly stains. The minerals in water cause corrosion of these metals that can leach into the water and show up at the tap. It is mandatory that public water systems use a treatment that precipitates out and coats these pipes as a preventive measure.

Flint Michigan
The negligence by Michigan officials on every level is what caused the crisis in Flint. They ignored the law and the warnings of the water plant workers to save money on this treatment, after which they attempted to cover up their failure.

Conflicts
The physical and legal conflicts by neighboring states and countries that occur over access to water resources are stark examples of the need to solve local water shortages. There have been both direct, and preemptive legal measures taken in the United States to obtain and shield others from using water resources.

Southeast
Atlanta and the states surrounding Georgia have been in conflict over shared water sources. Although the Chattahoochee and Coosa River are low volume systems, they provide 84% of Atlanta’s water supply. When accounting for Atlanta’s population boom (the largest population growth in the Southeast), its continued use is unsustainable. This source is 98% surface water, which is particularly vulnerable to weather fluctuations and thus drought. Atlanta has sought additional water rights in anticipation of continued population and economic growth, which has led to two major conflicts. Georgia, Alabama, and Florida share the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint and Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa basins. Atlanta’s population boom led to an increase in water withdrawals from these shared basins, causing concern to regions downstream who also rely on the water supply. Alabama sued the Army Corps of Engineers for violation of its water rights when Georgia sought to build a dam or reservoir to secure 20% more water from Lake Lanier for Atlanta. Florida intervened on behalf of Alabama leading to another lawsuit from Georgia alleging its water rights were violated. All three state governments sought agreements through recent decades with no lasting success. Therefore, all three states are seeking prescriptive rights to water sources that do not lie within their borders or on their borders.

Great Lakes Compact
Many metropolitan cities are beginning to challenge the Great Lakes Compact over rights to approximately 95% of the available water sources in the United States of America. Places like Milwaukee, which have depleted their water aquifers to such low levels that the radium pollution has become unmanageable, or the drought ridden southern states look to the Great Lakes for a water secure future. The Great Lakes Compact is a landmark agreement signed by representatives of the eight states with direct access to the resources, as approved by the federal government in 2008, with two missions in mind: to prevent these water-needy areas in the south, west and overseas from accessing the Great Lakes water, and to require the signatories to plan and implement water conservation. There is a provision that allows for cities outside of the Great Lakes basin, but within a county that straddles the basin to divert water, and petitions are being submitted.

Climate Change
The most immediate concern for water resources comes from sea level rise. This can cause saltwater intrusion in the already stressed aquifers and coastal sources. Salt water can be treated by reverse osmosis though it is expensive. It may be necessary.

Solutions
The future may consist of channels spanning long distances to serve drought stricken areas. Evidence of this is the Colorado River which is about 242 miles along the California-Arizona border. It flows into a reservoir near Riverside, California. There is an aqueduct that diverts water from the river consisting of 90 miles of tunnels, 55 miles of conduit, and five pumping stations. It supplies more than a billion gallons a day and is the reason Los Angeles, San Diego, and surrounding Southern California areas could sustain their growth. The water travels through deserts, mountain ranges, and severe weather, and by any measure is an enormous feat of engineering.