A Cool Drink Of Water

Seen from space, the planet Earth consists mostly of water; it covers seventy percent of the earth's surface. The most common substance on earth, water exists in solid, liquid and gaseous states. It is a renewable, but finite resource. Less than three percent of the world's water is fresh, and of that two thirds is trapped in glaciers or inaccessible snow cover. Fresh water is essential to all aspects of human activity: agriculture, industry, energy production, and to life itself. Conflicts over fresh water supplies have been part of human history since the beginning of time. Citizens of developed countries take an adequate, or even abundant supply of drinkable fresh water for granted. In the developing world, however, the picture is very different. There, fifty percent of the population is exposed to polluted water; waterborne diseases are among the most common causes of illness and death; and ninety percent of natural disasters (flood, drought and disease) are water-related. Today, throughout the developed and the developing world, pollution threatens water quality. Even in the United States, where free or low cost water is available to all, water scarcity is a fact of life in the western half of the country. Tapped out rivers and aquifers signal a coming crisis. The water-abundant east coast experiences periodic drought as well. Demand for fresh water has tripled in the past fifty years and, as the world's population continues to grow, pressure on the water supply will increase. In addition, climate change is expected to contribute to the increase in global water scarcity in the coming decades. During this century, meeting the challenge of assuring adequate quantity and quality of water to the world's population is essential for human survival. Resources were compiled by Barbara Bean, collaborative reference intern, in consultation with Gregg Sapp. (Fall 2003); Updated by Amanda Bauer (Fall 2005)

Selected Internet Resources

Water Basics
United States Geologic Survey. (http://water.usgs.gov/)
Comprehensive USGS site containing information about water resources in the United States; includes water information by state, real time daily stream flow conditions, surface and ground water and water quality. Real time maps. Many useful links.

United States Geologic Survey: Aquifers. (http://capp.water.usgs.gov/aquiferBasics/index.html)
Information about sixty principal ground water aquifers in the United States, by type of rock and location. Maps.

United States Geologic Survey (USGS): Glossary. (http://capp.water.usgs.gov/GIP/h2o_gloss/)
A glossary of hydrologic terms compiled by the United States Geologic Survey of the Department of the Interior (USGS).

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Safe Drinking Water. (http://http://www.epa.gov/safewater)
Comprehensive site containing information about ground and drinking water, frequently asked questions about drinking water standards and information about sources of water for local drinking water systems. Each water system in the United States may be located by county name.

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): Watersheds. (http://http://www.epa.gov/surf)
EPA Website that locates watersheds in the United States, by location, name or zip code. Includes maps and links to environmental websites associated with each watershed.

2003: the International Year of Freshwater. (http://http://www.wateryear2003.org)
United Nations Website of the International Year of Freshwater, contains lots of basic information about on a number of water-related topics, and links to Websites around the world on the issue.

Management and Monitoring in the United States
National Drought Policy Commission: Nationwide Drought Information. (http://www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/default.htm)
Site maintained by U.S. Farm Service Agency provides a clearinghouse for information about drought in the United States. Useful links.

Center for Disease Control: Waterborne Disease. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/list_waterborne.htm)
Site maintained by the Center for Disease Control containing information about waterborne diseases.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Lake George, New York. (http://www.rpi.edu/dept/DFWI/index.html)
Darrin Fresh Water Institute of R. P.I. conducts studies of local watershed conditions, with an emphasis on Lake George.

The High Plains: the Ogallala Aquifer. (http://hpwd.com/ogallala.asp)
Site containing information about the Ogallala aquifer: the world's largest and two million years old, it supplies water to eight states and is critical to the region's agriculture.

U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation: the Colorado River. (http://www.usbr.gov/lc/region/pao/faq.html)
Site containing information about the Colorado River, and its lakes and dams, which are shared by seven western states and Mexico, and governed by a complex set of laws, regulations and court cases known as the "Law of the River."

Southern Nevada: Managing Scarce Resources. (http://www.snwa.com)
Website of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, an agency formed to address Nevada's water needs; demonstrates strict conservation measures adopted by western states.

Other Sites of Interest
United Nations Environment Network. (http://freshwater.unep.net)
Site containing information about United Nations programs and resources related to world water issues, with many useful links.

Pacific Institute: The World's Water. (http://www.worldwater.org)
A comprehensive site containing up-to-date information, statistical data and Web connections to organizations, institutions, and individuals working on a wide range of global freshwater problems and solutions.

Worldwatch Institute. (http://www.worldwatch.org/topics/people/water/)
Website of the Worldwatch Institute containing information about news releases, publications and links to other sites on the subject of water.

Water Wars: Water Conflict Through the Ages. (http://www.worldwater.org/conflict.htm)
A chronology of human conflict over water from 3000 B.C. to the present.

Reports
Water for People, Water for Life: United Nations World Water Development Report, published March 2003. (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001295/129556e.pdf)

Bottled water: Understanding a social phenomenon. Report commissioned by the World Wildlife Federation. (http://www.panda.org/livingwaters/pubs/bottled_water.pdf)

Selected UA Books

Ball, P. (1999). Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (ULIB GB 661.2 B35 1999).

De Villiers, M. (2000). Water: The Fate of Our Most Precious Resource. Boston: Houghton Mifflin (SCIENCE TD 345 D 473. 2000).

Gleick, P. (1993). Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Freshwater Sources. New York: Oxford University Press (SCIENCE (*) TD 345 W264 1993).

Gleick, P. (1999). The World's Water: The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Washington, D.C.: Island Press (SCIENCE TD 345 W674 1998/1999).

New York State Bureau of Water Supply. (1981). Report on Groundwater Dependence in New York State. Albany: the Bureau. (SCIENCE TD 224 N7 R62x).

Opie, J. (2000). Ogallala: Water for a Dry Land. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (SCIENCE S 616 U6 O65 2000).

Reisner, M. (1986). Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water. New York: Viking (UALB ULIB HD 1739 A17 R45 1986).

Spellman, F. R. (1998). The Science of Water: Concepts and Applications. Lancaster, PA: Technomic Pub. (ULIB GB 665 S64 1998).

Selected Periodical Articles (semi-technical and general interest)*

Alexander, B. (1998, December 8). Between Two West Coast Cities, a Duel to the Last Drop. The New York Times, p. G9.

Blake, R., Khanbilvardi, and R. Rosenzweig, C. (2000, April). Climate change impacts on New York City's Water Supply. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 36(2): 279-292. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

Carrier, J. (1991, June). The Colorado: A River Drained Dry. National Geographic, 179(6): 4-34.

Chess, C. and Gibson, G. (2001, August). Watersheds Are Not Equal: Exploring the Feasibility of Watershed Management. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 37(4): 775-782. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

Doyle, R. (2001, July). In a Dry Land. Scientific American, 285(1): 30. (SCIENCE Per T1 S5).

Frederick, K.D. and Schwarz, G.E. (1999, December). Socioeconomic Impacts of Climate Change on U.S. Water Supplies. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 35(6); 697-710. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

Gardner, G. (1995, May/June). From Oasis to Mirage: The Aquifers That Won't Replenish. World Watch, 8(3): 30-36.

Gleick, P.H. (2001, February). Safeguarding Our Water: Making Every Drop Count. Scientific American, 284(2): 38-41. (SCIENCE Per T1 S5).

Gleick, P. (2003, November 28). Global Fresh Water Resources: Soft-path Solutions for the 21st Century. Science Magazine, 302(5650): 1524-1528. (SCIENCE Per Q1 S35).

Howe, C. and Goemans, C. (2003, October). Water Transfers and Their Impact: Lessons from Three Colorado Water Markets. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 39(5): 1055-1066. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

Howe, C., Schurmeier, D.R. and Shaw, W.D. (1986). Innovative Approaches to Water Allocation: The Potential for Water Markets. Water Resources Research, 22(4): 439-445. (ULIB Per GB 651 W 32).

Martindale, D. and Gleick, P.H. (2001, February). How We Can Do It. Scientific American, 284(2), 38-41. (SCIENCE Per T1 S5).

Montaigne, F. (2002, September). Water Pressure. National Geographic, 202(3): 2-33. (ULIB Per PG N27).

Perkins, S. (2003, October 4). On Thinning Ice: Are the World's Glaciers in Mortal Danger? Science News, 164(14): 215-216. (SCIENCE Per Q1 S76).

Pohl, M. M. (2002, December). Bringing Down Our Dams: Trends in American Dam Removal Rationales. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 38(6): 1511-1519. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

Raloff, J. (2000, January 29). Liquid Assets: A New Breed of Bankers is Helping Communities Save for Rainy Days. Science News, 157(5): 72-74. (SCIENCE Per Q1 S76).

Wilhite, D., Hayes, M.J., Knutson, C. and Smith, K.H. (2000, August). Planning for Drought: Moving From Crisis to Risk Management. Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 36(4): 697-710. (ULIB Per GB 651 W315).

* The full text of many of these articles is also available online. Check "Minerva," the online catalog, for more information.

UA Special Collections: Primary Source Material

Society for the Preservation of Water Resources. (1977-1987). Society for the Preservation of Water Resources. Records of not-for-profit organization formed to protect water resources of Schenectady County, New York (UALB GRENANDER SPE MSS APAP-061)

UA Video Resources

National Geographic Society. (1996). The power of water [videorecording] (SCIENCE MEDIA VidCas TD 223 P6 1996)

Films for the Humanities and Sciences. (2001). Water, water everywhere [videorecording] (SCIENCE TD 419 P53 v 2001).

United Nations Videos. (1992). Taking the waters [videorecording] (IMC VIDCAS QH 541.3 m3T 35x 1992).

YH 12/17/03; Updated and links rev. ACB 10/2005.