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al. 2008). Provision of a safe and sustainable supply of water for humanity is
widely expected to be one of the central issues of global politics and economics
during this century. Water is also closely tied to many other leading sustainabil-
ity issues such as energy, climate, and food security. Given increasing demands
on freshwater supplies, particularly in the more arid regions of the western
United States, the challenges of providing clean water are prominent today and
will likely continue to be a concern in the future. Demands include domestic
uses (potable and landscaping), agricultural uses, and support of ecosystems and
biodiversity, and global change will exacerbate the tension among those de-
mands.
The climate-water nexus presents new challenges and will require sub-
stantial investment in scientific research for managing this stressed resource in
regions where water is scarce and in regions where water is plentiful. Regions
experiencing water stress are projected to double by 2050 as a result of climate
change (Bates et al. 2008). There is evidence that global climate change will
increase the threat to human health, ecosystems, and socioeconomic conditions
(IPCC 2007). As previously discussed, there will probably be direct effects on
human health due to weather and climate extremes (for example, extremes in
temperature and precipitation) and disasters caused by these extreme weather
events (such as heat waves, floods, and hurricanes) (IOM 2009). Water is at the
heart of understanding climate-change threats, and a new strategy for interdisci-
plinary research programs is imperative if the threat is to be handled without
large adverse effects.
TABLE 2-1
Some Contrasts between the Clean Water Act and the Safe
Drinking Water Act
ISSUE
Clean Water Act of 1972
Safe Drinking Water Act of 1976
Goals
• Swimmable, fishable water
• Ecologic quality addressing
ambient waters and discharges
• Standards developed at the
state level
• “Safe” drinking water as defined
by maximum contaminant levels
for final drinking-water or
performance standards
• Nationally consistent standards
• Little advancement in routine
wastewater treatment or monitoring
• Technologic advances associated
with state efforts in wastewater
reclamation
• New monitoring tools
• New treatment technology to address
new contaminants
• Sensor technology associated with
distribution systems and water security
Technology
Science
• Impaired waters and development
of hydrologic models
• Predictive modeling
• Source tracking methods using
molecular tools
• Advancement of risk-assessment
frameworks and methods
• Groundwater models
• National databases
Policies
• Beaches Environmental Assessment
and Coastal Health Act
• Nutrient criteria
• Contaminant Candidate List
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