Page 47 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2017

to spikes in violence and unrest within countries.
■ Just as people migrated from one area to another due to water shortages in ancient times, we could see that repeated in coming years.
Silver Linings
Many people are not fully aware of the economic impacts of water shortages, but there is another—more positive—develop- ment that many people may be unaware of as well. At least here in the United States, we are using a lot less water.
Water usage in the United States peaked in the early 1980s at approximately 440 billion gallons of water per day (bgd). By 2010, it was down to about 350 bgd. On a per capita basis, water use fell by about 1,300 gallons per day to 1,100 during this same period. (We should also note that between 1980 and 2010, the population of the United States grew from 220 million to 309 million.)
How this was accomplished in the United States is the same way we can help reduce water consumption in many areas of the world. This potentially could put off or eliminate water shortages and scarcity and their many negative impacts, includ- ing economic. It is all based on using water more efficiently.
For instance, as mentioned, in certain parts of the world people are given a back seat to energy development when it comes to water. Over the past 10 years, thermoelec- tric power plants, which use about half the water in the United States, have developed closed-loop systems to cool equipment in these power-generating facilities, reducing water consumption by about 20 percent.
Another factor in reducing U.S. water consumption, which can be replicated in other parts of the world, is better water management. This can apply to a number of things, but a perfect example of improved water management has been witnessed in California during the past 40 years. In the late 1970s, due to a severe drought, the state had to implement major water restric- tions after just one year of drought. Since 2011, the state has endured several years of drought but did not formally implement restrictions until the fourth year. This was the result of enhanced water management.
More efficient water-using fixtures are
also playing a pivotal role. In commercial facilities, 40 percent of all water is used in restrooms. High-performance toilets and no-water urinals have helped reduce con- sumption dramatically. Remember, one no- water alone reduces water consumption by as much as 40,000 gallons per year.
Repeating these and many other water efficiency strategies around the world will likely result in similar water reduction. And instead of a 6 percent decline in GDP, the World Bank report adds that many parts of the world may actually see a 6 per-
cent growth in GDP with these and other steps taken.
A frequent speaker and author on water con- servation issues, Klaus Reichardt is founder and managing partner of Waterless Co. LLC (http://www.waterless.com/), located in Vista, Calif. Reichardt founded the company in 1991 with the goal to establish a new mar- ket segment in the plumbing fixture industry with water conservation in mind. The com- pany’s key product, the Waterless No-Flush urinal, works completely without water.
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