Water and Sustainability: Reflections from the Western United States

What do we mean when we speak of water and sustainability – certainly we include having sufficient clean water for our daily needs: keeping our water taps flowing with clear, safe-to-drink water; keeping our showers and toilets running; maybe watering the garden or having a sprinkler for the kids to run through on a hot summer’s day. But these domestic uses account for only about 10% of the water used in the 11 Western states whereas irrigation accounts for approximately 85% of the water withdrawn (Hutson 2004). Irrigation is also the dominant use of water worldwide and irrigated agriculture supplies some 40% of the world’s food (Vorosmarty and Sahagian 2000). So water sustainability also means having enough to eat. And in a world focused on, “peak oil” and, “reducing our carbon footprint,” a world in which we must become ever more reliant on renewable sources of energy, what could be more renewable than hydroelectric power? So water sustainability also means a light to read by and the (electrical) power behind the World Wide Web. But then there is also the natural world. Lichatowich titled his book Salmon Without Rivers, capturing an image that no Northwesterner would want. So water sustainability is more than just human needs, it is about salmon, ducks, and waterfalls. In fact, water sustainability is about balancing all of our needs and wants in an uncertain future.