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From New York to California, Texas to Wyoming, we're suffering levels of drought we haven't seen in all recorded history. Water shortages are sparking conflicts among competing users, and communities that took their supplies for granted find that this basic resource may not always be plentiful, drinkable, or affordable. Worldwide, 3 billion people - more than 1/3 of humanity -- will face severe shortages of fresh water by 2025.
All across America, water warnings abound:
- The last six months were the driest of any six-month period in 107 years of records for Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware and Virginia.
- Every day our farmers and ranchers draw up 20 billion gallons of water more than are replaced by rainfall.
- The Ogalala Aquifer, the underground river that supplies the Great Plains and the largest body of fresh water on earth, will dry up within 30 to 40 years at present rates of extraction.
- Along California/Oregon's Klamath River, farmers, fishermen, Indian tribes and endangered species are locked in a bitter water war. Politics over-ride treaties, science and common sense in a classic power struggle that pits potential allies against one another.
- Over 80% of Americans receive our water from public utilities, but over the next 20 years $23 billion a year will need to be spent to take care of decades-old leaky pipes and pumps in towns and cities everywhere.
What's the solution? Many cities and counties have imposed limit, but as supplies become scarce, water will take on unprecedented market value. A water infrastructure bill introduced in the House of Representatives would force communities to consider privatization before getting federal aid, opening the door to the corporate water companies who offer capital in exchange for control. Enron had water holdings - is there a pattern here?
How do we decide where-and to whom-our water should go? Should we sell our rights to this most essential resource? Is water a shared resource that should be publicly owned and managed? Is there a natural way?
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