August 2025 Vol. 80 No. 8
Editor's Log
The value of water: Why scarcity is shaping infrastructure’s future
By Robert Carpenter, Editor-in-Chief
(UI) — As America, indeed, the world, struggles with water issues of all fashions, a verse from the famous poem, Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, always comes to mind:
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
Access to ample water supplies for everything from recreation to irrigation has emerged as one of the top issues facing the world today. Of course, the most critical aspect of this conundrum remains potable water.
Droughts, some sustained, some intermittent, continue to reduce reservoir supplies to dangerous levels. The Western U.S. has been hit the hardest, but droughts have also been frequent in all regions of the U.S. Reduced snowpack runoff in the Rocky Mountains and other Western U.S. ranges, has slowed the usual annual replenishing flows into rivers and reservoirs.
Climate change shoulders virtually of the blame in the minds of legacy news media, environmental scientists and activists. Our civilization has supposedly caused all of our water woes.
I, for one, am tired of hearing the ragged and often-assumed conclusions that our water problems would evaporate (so to speak) if we would just acquiesce as a world to our guilt in the climate crisis and take all the steps and ban all carbon fuels, etc. However, increasingly, evidence is surfacing that much of our current climate change would probably be happening with or without the human touch. Historical climate research shows huge environmental sways over the Earth’s long history.
Diminishing groundwater levels are also occurring around the country. My home in Southeast Texas, adjacent to the Gulf Coast, experiences mild weather patterns that typically bring high humidity and lots of rainfall. The area is laced by streams, bayous and rivers. However, even with the water supply we have in the area, cities in the region are continually searching for ways to supply or supplement increasing demand.
The water table has been steadily depleted, and ground subsidence is a significant issue. Much of Texas now must use mandatory surface water supplies rather than wells. This is a problem you can clearly blame on humanity simply because we exist – too many people requiring massive amounts of water to support our lifestyle. Amazingly, even in a place like Houston, there will not be enough water without drastic measures already taken and those in the works.
The city is not alone. Wherever the population is steadily growing, water supplies are becoming scarce. The boom of Las Vegas has only been possible with Hoover Dam and the creation of Lake Mead. The lake’s current water level is approximately 1,054 feet. This is lower than in four out of the past five years, and projections indicate it could decline to 1,038 feet by June 2027. The lake is considered "full" at an elevation of 1,225 feet.
Florida, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Georgia – the list of U.S. states facing challenging water problems never ends. Fights over water rights keep feeding federal and state courts with cases that rarely provide satisfying conclusions to the greater problem – not enough water to go around.
All kinds of schemes have been proposed and are even in development. Some are encouraging, many are fruitless. There is a plethora of new, massive water pipelines beginning construction or in development to transport additional water to communities or distribute water generated by technologies such as desalination. The list of pipeline projects will inevitably continue its growth curve as water issues linger. Great for infrastructure business, perhaps even survival for some communities. But will it be enough?
I see two paths developing in tandem. Emerging technologies become effective and affordable, while water management across entire regions becomes accepted and better managed. I ask again, will it be enough?
The ultimate solution and subsequent resolution to the scarcity of water may be bleaker, yet obvious: less people, less water demands. A reduction in the worldwide population has already begun. China and India both have falling population numbers that will not sustain their economics and lifestyles. Europe, Russia and many other countries no longer have a sustainable population. The U.S. population is barely at break-even.
Of course, it could be decades or, even, centuries before the world’s population is projected to decline enough to erode the foundations of modern civilization. Apparently, the various impacts have already been set in motion. Yet, the tremendous power and need for water in the booming AI power plants and facilities will consume yet another level of water.
The Blue Gold currency we call water is only going to become rarer and more problematic until cooperation, planning and real-world solutions and scenarios emerge.
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