Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
requires a tremendous amount of energy, which in turn requires lots
of water. U.S. public water, sewer, and treatment facilities use about
56 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity every year, enough elec-
tricity to power more than 5 million homes, according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program.*
*U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “WaterSense,” http://epa.gov/watersense/.
BIGGEST CONSUMERS
The biggest guzzler of water in the United States is thermoelectric
power. The nation's power plants require 201 billion gallons of
water daily to make steam to turn turbines, for cooling purposes,
and more. That's up 3 percent from 2000. Irrigation is the second-
largest water user, requiring 128 billion gallons every day. Domestic
water use takes a distant third, with 44.2 billion gallons of water
required a day to meet Americans' personal needs, followed by
31 billion gallons of water daily for industrial, mining, commercial,
and aquaculture uses. 4 These numbers sound simple enough, but
satisfying our nation's water demands is anything but simple.
IN OUR BACKYARDS
These numbers may sound mind-boggling and the idea of a water cri-
sis here at home more like science fi ction. After all, you turn on the tap
and plentiful clean water comes out. Until recently the idea of a water
crisis, if it existed at all, was someone else's problem. Few Americans
other than environmentalists, a handful of government offi cials, farm-
ers, and workers for world aid organizations like the United Nations
actually paid much attention to the extent of the world's water issues.
Reality, however, is that the United States has tapped into, sucked
up, and maxed out its once-abundant and replenishable supplies of
freshwater on the surface and underground. In this country, too,
thousands of people fall ill every year from waterborne diseases,
according to data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 5
Every place has its own issues with water, says Daniel E. Williams,
FAIA (Fellow, American Institute of Architects) APA member
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