Climate Change Affects Drinking Water
Climate change is a growing risk for U.S. water supplies, according to a recent article published online from OPB News. The author begins by acknowledging that millions of Californians don’t even know where there water comes from, let alone what is in their tap water. According to the article, “a new statewide poll asking residents about the Sacramento Delta — an immense waterway north and inland of the San Francisco Bay Area — revealed that most people don’t know anything about the Delta and that only 2.3% cited the Delta as a ‘source of water.’”
The delta helps shuttle fresh water to more than 25 million people in the state. It’s also an essential water resource for agriculture in Central and Southern California. To not know this means that many people truly are not aware or informed about their drinking water today. This can be problematic should there be harmful contaminants flowing from the tap. This system supplies two-thirds of California’s drinking water as well as 50% of the state’s agriculture. Many people feel as though where the water comes from isn’t as important as how safe the water actually is. However, most people tend to assume that their water is safe regardless of the lack of information. There is also limited concern about how much water we have available from water supplies to continually and eternally get from the tap. Yet, the article explains that water supplies are sensitive to a lot of different factors, including extreme weather and an evolving climate and this is a growing problem.
“As global temperatures rise, regional changes could have a growing impact on access to clean water.” In California, there is a projected decline in snowpack meaning less fresh water coming down the mountains into the delta during the summer when people need the water the most. This could also be tainted with higher levels of saltwater pushing into the delta. The impact is being felt (or maybe more so in the future) all over the nation, not just here in California. Regardless, something needs to be done. For homeowners, there may be a couple of options to help lessen the demand for water. Water filters and drinking water systems can help those who are concerned about what is in their water. Likewise, water coolers are a great option for those consumers who wish to reduce the amount of water they use to help lower the risk of limited water supplies in the future. With either choice, it is important to find a drinking water system that is affordable, eco-friendly and uses the latest water technology. To read more about how climate change can affect our drinking water, click here.
