Water Resource Plan Freshwater Resources

Option 2: Water Resource Plan Freshwater Resources

As the Earthly population continues to expand and the resources to support the population continue to shrink, the most important of the resources will be the life-sustaining fresh water that continues to be tainted with malice. Whether by private well or by municipal supply we all make the assumption that the presence of suitable potable water to be in ample supply, when in reality it is a finite resource. The usable supply is in constant danger of being rendered unusable and tainted by agriculture, industry and blatant waste. Each of the previously mentioned “problems” can be controlled by addressing the individual faults of each and creating an action plan to minimize the impact of each stated contributor that endangers the freshwater supply. As each topic is addressed, it must be realized that the whole premise behind any freshwater conservation effort is to disregard the immediate are in which we live and consider where we live is to live downstream; which simply means to think about the foul things being put into the water are flowing downstream for the next individual to deal with, while the pollutants you are dealing with were dumped upstream by someone else.

How do agriculture and industry pollute the water supply? In agriculture, because every acre has the soil sucked dry of nutrients with every crop rotation and every acre is required to produce the highest yield possible growers are forced to use adjuncts in order to sweeten the soil and increase yields. The adjuncts come in the form of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the majority of which are washed away by rain and eventually end up in the water supply. When the chemical compounds are introduced to the water supply it causes eutrophication; which is evident in one of two ways. First, the abundance of nutrients may promote excessive simple plant growth causing degradation in water quality. Second, the excessive plant growth will cause the water to become hypoxic; depriving the aquatic life of valuable oxygen required for existence.

The development of a clear and concise action plan to reduce nutrient pollution is required to protect the valuable water resource. First, it is crucial to inform the agricultural community of the need to protect the vital water resource they and the surrounding community use. Next, incentive may be required to implement a course of action. People work for something when something is given in return; if an incentive is offered it may be easier for everyone to contribute or sacrifice something. For implementation the following items will need evaluated:

1. Fertilizer use (to include livestock manure use): Reduction of the fertilizer amounts applied to crops is the first item to be addressed. This reduction in amounts applied will reduce the amount