Water Water Day Series #3 - The Future is Now: Climate Change and Its Effect on Water Availability

By Myron Petro, Field Technician

Welcome to our blog series in honor of World Water Day on Friday, March 22^nd! The United Nations declared 2013 as the “International Year of Water Cooperation.” The employees at AdEdge have a passion for clean water and providing safe drinking water for people throughout the world. Over the next week and half, we will be exploring some of the ways AdEdge is making a difference in helping the global water crisis.

Water availability is becoming an increasingly important issue due to the effects of Climate Change. Warmer average temperatures will, in effect, allow the atmosphere to hold more water. This may cause shifts in precipitation patterns, which will further dry out some areas, while increasing overall rainfall amounts in others. Decreased precipitation in arid regions will add to the already high demand for available water. Other areas where increased rainfall is perceived to be good, will see problems due to increased sedimentation and runoff in the water, requiring further treatment to maintain drinking water standards. This is the primary issue seen with increasing global temperatures, other effects can be seen in the figure below (Source: USGCRP 2009). Increased frequency and duration of drought has already been seen across the continental US in recent years, most notably affecting irrigation of croplands and water available for livestock. This has increased the need for municipalities and corporations alike to begin considering new water source identification and re-use options in their water use plans. In order to maintain productivity and quality of life across the United States, we have to start thinking outside the box as to where we obtain our water from.

AdEdge Water Technologies has treatment options available for a variety of contaminants. This allows for the identification and use of both groundwater and surface water sources that have been historically unavailable due to the presence of contaminants harmful to human health. In addition, AdEdge is also working on water re-use applications with industrial waste-water and elsewhere to provide recovery options and cost savings for the ever increasing demand of water across the country.