Have Things Changed - 2016?

 

As the 2016 United States Presidential election fades into history, I wanted to pose a simple question to my readers. Have things changed in 2016?

The answer to that question, clearly, has many levels. While we must wait for answers in relationship to the presidency of Donald Trump, there are things we need to be aware of and watch for. For instance, President-Elect Trump made his campaign about “making America great” again. One of the ways he has proposed doing it is to rebuild Americas infrastructure.

What does this look like and what is included? As I have watched previous administrations throughout my lifetime make the same type of commitment (using different phrases), what happened was significantly different than what was truly needed. What do I mean by that statement, you ask?

We all notice the obvious upgrades and repairs which take place. Road and bridge repairs are easy to spot. These are transportation related facilities, and, as noted in many of my previous blogs, are easy for the politicians to spend money on. The expense is subsidized by the ever increasing fuel and vehicle taxes and more importantly the completed repairs are obvious. We see and “feel” the results. It is a good feeling when you drive on a newly paved street or highway. We know that something is being improved with the money we spend in taxes.

While the transportation infrastructure connects our society, and is necessary, there are two even more critical infrastructures. As I have in written several books, as well as, numerous blogs, these two critical infrastructures are the water supply system and the electrical grid. Without these two interconnected infrastructures, our modern, global society would rapidly devolve into chaos. In the extreme, without fresh water, life would cease to exist.

However, both the water and electrical infrastructures are relatively complex. With respect to the water infrastructure, most of it is below ground, out of sight (and seemingly out of mind – except to a relative few). There is no simple way for the “public” or “average American” to assess what progress is being made with respect to these two infrastructures. They can’t point to a newly installed water pipeline, electrical transformer or electrical transmission line, like they can with a newly paved highway or newly built bridge.

The interconnectivity between these two infrastructures can be demonstrated with a simple example. Water and wastewater systems both require an extensive array of electrical powered pumps, filters, and processing equipment to just process and move water from one place to another. Conversely, power plants require cooling water and steam to turn generators to produce that same electricity. These are two very symbiotic infrastructures, without one the other could not exist on a national or global basis. In addition, modern agriculture requires water to be pumped, both for irrigation, and in processing the food we eat.

One article in Water Technology magazine (July 2016) entitled “The Aging US infrastructure” by Louise Musial gives several sobering statistics about our water infrastructure. For example, the author notes the following about the cost:

“According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA) study, ‘Buried No Longer: Confronting America’s Water Infrastructure Challenge,’ if the country is to maintain even the current levels of water service, restoring existing water systems and expanding them to serve a growing population will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years.”

To put the relative cost in perspective:

“Even though water is an essential part of everyday life, residents pay much less for it than cable television or any other utility. The current water rates do not accurately reflect the actual cost of supplying clean, reliable drinking water or wastewater management and discharge to the U.S. population.”

The current state of our water infrastructure is noted as follows.

“In the most recent report by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the U.S. earned a grade of D for its water and wastewater infrastructure. It is not surprising that many of its most neglected water treatment systems are in need of maintenance and repairs and have not been upgraded in decades.”

This annual grade of “D” by the American Society of Civil Engineers has persisted through several United States presidential administrations (both Republican and Democrat) and numerous Congresses. A good example is the recent water challenges faced by the City of Detroit.

Given this background, what can you do as a water consumer? How can you begin to be part of the solution to the challenges faced by these “out of sight” critical infrastructures?

First, you can become knowledgeable. One relatively easy way to do so is to read. It is for this reason, I am making my newest book available in electronic format as a digital eBook. This 100-page eBook entitled Water, Our Most Precious Resource gives an overview of the water challenges we face. It explains the relationship between the water and electrical infrastructure in simple, understandable terms.

The introduction presents my focus in this book.

“Humans can only exist for a few days without fresh drinking water. Almost all animals and plants on Earth require water in some form or another. Water, a combination of hydrogen and oxygen, is essential for life.

Even though 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, fresh water is still a scarce resource. The water in the oceans is saline, unusable for agriculture and drinking.

The largest use of water on Earth is not for drinking but for growing our food. We use it to grow our crops and our livestock. Much of the agriculture water is diverted from rivers and lakes onto fields through irrigation ditches, canals and pipelines. In semi-arid sections of the world, like southern Arizona and California, we divert large quantities of water through large open canals hundreds of miles to irrigate crops.

Much of the world still lacks water for basic needs such as drinking and sanitation. In many cases this is due to poor water management or lack of infrastructure resources.

This book, Water, Our Most Precious Resource, explains some of the issues we face due to past poor water management and lack of infrastructure. In addition, it explains some ways these challenges can be remedied and what role each of us can play in the solution to an ongoing global water crisis.”

The following link gives you access to this informative digital publication on Amazon.

Water, Our Most Precious Resource

Second, you can get involved. Attend local water board meetings. Talk to the water board members. Many water boards have outreach programs. There are also numerous educational programs at universities and colleges. One very good program is exemplified by the following.

Metropolitan State University of Denver – One World One Water

While “time will tell” about the new Trump administration in its effort to “Make America Great,” time is against us with respect to the water and electrical infrastructure. The water lines, purification plants, pumping systems, electrical transformers, generators, electrical towers and power lines are all aging. Many are past their “engineering life.” For example, a significant number of water lines in the United States with an estimated engineering life of 50 years are more than 100 years old.

We, as a society, as well as, part of a global community, face a huge challenge. Clearly, the political landscape and focus needs to change on many levels. Governments, corporations, businesses and individuals all need to be involved to redirect efforts from “business as usual” to “these things need to be done for our society to be a sustainable entity.”

Its obvious, the politicians alone, given their dismal track record cannot be depended on to remedy these immense challenges (they clearly prefer the “business as usual” model). In my opinion, the answer to my question, “Have things changed,” is a resounding “No,” as of 2016 with respect to these very critical infrastructures. This does not bode well for either our water infrastructure or the electrical grid.

It is past time for you, my dear reader, to take some time and educate yourself, then get involved. Your future, and that of future generations, is at stake.

Sincerely,

H. Court Young
Author, publisher, speaker and geologist
Promoting awareness through the written word
Research, freelance writing & self-publishing services
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Phone: 303-726-8320
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