Access to Drinkable Water Shouldn’t Be an American “Pipe Dream”

https://www.care2.com/causes/access-to-drinkable-water-shouldnt-be-an-american-pipe-dream.html

Access to Drinkable Water Shouldn’t Be an American “Pipe Dream”

There is no more fundamental natural resource to life, liberty and good health than water.
A lack of water to sustain daily needs is a reality today for one in three people around the world.
That’s right, 1.1 billion people across the globe lack access to safe drinking water, a scarcity that leads to the deaths of 3.75 million people each year, including one child every 20 seconds.
While the global problem is worsening as cities and populations expand and the demands for water grow in agriculture and industry, the United States isn’t exactly “hydrologically blessed” either.
Contrary to what the average American on Main Street might assume—that potable freshwater will always be a tap, faucet, spigot, or shower head away—the United States is in the throes of a very real water crisis.
As depicted in Participant Media’s upcoming documentary, Last Call at the OasisAmerica faces a significant water emergency in four areas: consumption, conservation, quality, and infrastructure.
The sobering statistics don’t lie.
Consumption: The average American consumes 99 gallons of water each and every day—this figures includes so-called “hidden water”—whereas the world’s poorest live on less than two and a half gallons per day.
Conservation: Replacing grass laws with native plans (especially in arid communities) can save over 15,000 gallons per year.
Quality: Sixty-seven percent of groundwater near major American poultry farms contains antibiotics.
Infrastructure: Thirty percent of pipes in systems that deliver water to more than 100,000 people are between 40 and 80 years old, according to the EPA. It is estimated to cost $1 trillion to upgrade America’s water infrastructure over the next 25 years.
Introduced this week as part of the social action campaign for Last Call at the Oasis, the Community Water Bill of Rights aims to inform each and every American precisely what their H20 civil liberties are.
In the coming months, the declaration will be delivered to members of Congress and state governors and asking them to make water issues an ongoing priority.
It has to be part of the American  agenda or we will all regret our neglect .

 

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