We are stretching our water supply pretty much as far as it can go. Data has shown a global water crisis, and we can not pretend that the entire situation will resolve itself. An analysis of 12 million wells throughout the U.S. discovered that groundwater supplies are depleted, but still industry and people continue to dig deeper. Shortages will impact most of the U.S. not only the regions we would expect to be dry. There are 96 out of 204 basins in trouble, and the reality is as early as this year shortages could occur in another 83 basins.
Climate change is definitely impacting precipitation, and we have already faced some of the worst droughts in recorded history especially in the West. Along with rising temperatures and decreasing rainfall, evaporation increases and water is reduced in lakes, rivers and reservoirs. Water shortages are going to continue because of the widespread droughts and they are significant because many times the consequences of a drought are sometimes invisible but can cause hardship in slow motion.
The population in the U.S. is growing and on average many Americans use 80-100 gallons of water each day and that estimate puts the nation’s usage topping at 345 billion gallons daily. The simple math is more people means a lot more water stress throughout the entire U.S. We have to practice saving every drop of water because we are going to need it.