Remember what clean water looked like in the movies of the Old West? Remember the sound and the vision of a tired cowboy stopping by a small stream to water both his horse and himself?
While it may have been easy to take water for granted during those Old West movies, recent news stories are making more and more people aware of water, its usage, and its management. From sump pump installation in the areas of the country that are flooding for the first time ever, to a drinking water crisis in a major metropolitan area, Americans are being forced to be more aware of the water that is a part of their everyday lives.
Water News from Around the World
Iran
As reported in the April 2016 The Guardian, Iran is dealing with severe drought in some locations. An attempt to transfer desalinized water from the Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea to the highly populated and drought stricken areas in the center of the country is both complex and incredibly hopeful. Initially began in 2012 but then halted because of complications and expense, the grand plan is again on the table. A complicated pipeline system will attempt to bring water to “dehydrated cities” and “parched farmlands.” As some government officials argue that this is the only way to save thousands of poverty stricken Iranians, environmentalists counter that this process is not only costly to complete, but that it is also unsustainable.
America
Every newspaper in the U.S. has printed stories about the Flint, Michigan, drinking water crisis. Through a series of poor, and many have said negligent, decisions, Flint officials used old, corroded lead pipes to transport water to the most poor areas of the city. When the children in these communities began to break out in rashes from the too often rust colored water people finally got the water quality testing that they asked for. And while the big dollar automobile manufacturers were getting their water from newer and better water tanks and pipes, the water quality tests proved that the water in many of the lower income areas was dangerously contaminated.
India
While the World Health Organization (WHO) has for years claimed that India’s water and air pollution ranks that country as one of the most polluted in the world, something different than the WHO warnings may finally make Indian government officials make changes. As studies indicate that the Taj Mahal is under attack by bugs and their green slime that is fed by the polluted condition of the Yamuna River in Agra, India. The consumer and traveler effects that is being caused by the pollution is more visible and seems to be carrying more weight. India?s most famous cultural heritage sites are suffering exterior damage and this has caused the government officials to begin looking for solutions.
Rio
Although the bid book that Rio created for the 2016 Olympic committee promised a seven year process for cleaning its polluted water, the world begins to wonder what progress can possibly be made in the last 100 days before the games begin. Aged water tanks, polluted rivers and beaches are far from anything the expected tourists and athletes want to see. In fact, as recently as last week some officials continued to demand that the games be pulled from Rio and moved to another location.
Private Well Drilling and Private Water Tanks Can Avoid Some Problems
When water problems are as pervasive as they are today, many Americans continue to look for ways to improve and ensure the quality of the water that their families use. One option is to remove yourself from public city water sources and through the use of private wells and private water tanks take control of your own water. Well drilling services can provide home owners with an option that is easier for an individual owner to both maintain and regulate.
More than 15 million American households depend on private ground water wells and additional water tanks. Through well digging and water well sealing, all private wells use ground water. Some see an advantage to knowing who is maintaining the safety of the well once it is built. The well becomes the owner’s responsibility and no city officials can cut corners or hide test results.