| Water facts you should know |
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Rapidly increasing water utility rates It is no surprise that as the world's population grows, so does our demand for fresh water. In fact, the demand for fresh water has nearly quadrupled in only the last 60 years. Americans alone use 100 gallons per day per person. However, the supply of fresh water is fixed. Given the world's population, there are only 500 gallons of water per person available for human use. This equates to less than ½ of 1% of the earth's water supply (US EPA). The result is that water rates have increased 100% - 500% during the last decade, and will continue to rise at an average of 10% annually (US Department of Energy). And it is expected that we will face strict water use regulations in the very near future. While the scarce supply of fresh water is a factor to increasing water rates, costs continue to escalate because of infrastructure upgrades, compliance with regulations, and the privatization of the water utility industry. It is predicted that by 2015, drinking water access could be a major source of world conflict (US Central Intelligence Agency). Water is our next utility crisis. According to the EPA, our limited supply of water and growing demand is "the biggest environmental issue that we face in the 21st Century". |