The Water Sustainability Challenge Is Making Waves: Time to Take Action

Earlier this month, our team returned to WEFTEC. As the largest annual water quality exhibition, WEFTEC attracts utility leaders and water professionals from across North America and the world. For three days, Chicago’s McCormick Place was humming with activity, and it was encouraging to see the event back up to full capacity.  

A busy WEFTEC is a clear sign that water solutions remain in high demand. At the same time, the mainstream press is amplifying what our industry (especially frontline workers at utilities) has known for decades. In the past few months, we’ve seen a significant focus on capturing the water crisis that is happening in the United States in real time. People everywhere are waking up our collective challenge. 

In case you missed them, here are two reads and one resource that underscore the immediacy and severity of the crisis. 

Uncharted Waters: America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow (The New York Times, requires subscription) 

This NYT data investigation, the first in a series on “disappearing” water, looks at the far-reaching impacts of the groundwater crisis. Beyond the obvious threats to environment, groundwater supply affects all parts of the American economy. There is clear data, the article claims, that the United States is in a water availability crisis that threatens global food security, economic development and prosperity, and our current way of living. 

These Five Cities Could Be One Natural Disaster Away from a Catastrophic Water Crisis (CNN) 

Over at CNN, reporters Rachel Ramirez and Eric Levenson profile some of the water quality challenges facing Buffalo, New York, Prichard, Alabama, St. Louis, Missouri, Central Coast of California, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. For example, some are contending with coastal intrusion, others are managing the risks of outdated or failing infrastructure (e.g., lead pipes, breaks and leaks), some are threatened by frequent and extreme weather, like overwhelming flooding that leads to incredible property damage, spills, and polluted water sources.  

Mind the water gap: Mapping the world’s water shortages (National Geographic) 

Developed in partnership with Utrecht University and led by National Geographic Explorer Marc Bierkens, this World Water Map helps us understand where and why water gaps arise, how climate change might aggravate them—and even how they might be managed. 

Achieving a water secure future 

The media is providing the world with a much-needed snapshot, but is it enough? Every year at WEFTEC we meet with the experts – the leaders and professionals who are charged with protecting public health and providing reliable water services. We learn about how they’re facing water sustainability challenges head on, every day, from legacy infrastructure that can’t keep up with new climate extremes, to increased demand and limited water resources, to the constant pressure to do more with less. 

For our team, WEFTEC is always an important reminder of our commitment to make a difference in water. We want to help utilities gain the services and tools they need to understand and operate their systems with confidence. We also want to help water users improve efficiency, reduce their demand, and release cleaner water to the ecosystem. At XPV Water Partners, we invest in people and companies with proven solutions that support a water secure future. We call on all businesses to find the ways in which they can contribute.