California is having a major water problem, and many expects have seen this historic drought coming for decades, but did nothing to prepare for it. Our governor, Jerry Brown, was in office last time California had a historic drought, back in the 1970s. Currently, in 2015, there are 1 million people in California, who have no potable water. And instead of finding news sources of water, Jerry Brown hired 61 new water police to fine people anywhere from $50.00 to $10,000.00 for not reducing water consumption. Also, Jerry Brown is raising water rates. However, the problem is we need more water, and the fees and fines just make it look like Jerry Brown is doing something, when he is not. Also, the economy is bad, and people are out of work, so the fines will just hurt them. In addition, six months from now, what are we going to do because rainfall is very unlikely. Clean fresh water is arguably one of the World’s most valuable assets, but often times it is taken for granted.  People look around and see all the water in the oceans and think we have an unlimited supply of water. However, that is not the case, 75 percent of the world is made up of water, but only 0.3 percent of that water is drinkable.

 We typically cannot drink seawater.  The fresh water we drink comes from rivers and streams. The reason we cannot drink seawater is because it has a high salt content, and that would dehydrate one’s body, and it is might also cause high blood pressure. As populations continue to grow, they demand for water is increasing greatly. The World’s water consumption is doubling every 20 years, and by 2025, the demand for water will exceed the supply of water by 56 percent.  Water is very important, as we need it to wash clothes, shower, do dishes, feed livestock, and water crops. The United States uses about 346,000 million gallons of fresh water per day, and 80 percent of that is used for irrigation and the average person uses about 100 gallons of water per day.  That is an incredible amount of water being used. Without clean drinkable water, people will get sick and germs will spread because they cannot be washed away, so it is important that we do not waste water. Currently 1.1 billion people lack access to clean drinking water. Some are speculating that not having enough water in the near future could lead to wars over water because water ways are shared by more than one authority and controlled by different counties.  So scientists are looking for ways to combat these issues and ensure that we have enough water for everyone.

As you know, water is needed to build homes, create new businesses, raise livestock and it really improves our quality of life. It is a luxury to take a bath every day, wash your hair and prepare meals with fresh water. Most people typically feel better about themselves when they are clean. China is working to eliminate water waste by allowing farmers to control their sprinklers by mobile phone. They will be able to insure the farms are being water adequately without ever leaving the comfort of their home. Since there is so much seawater, many people wonder why we do not filter the water in the ocean so that one will be able to drink it. The process of filtering seawater and making it drinkable is called Desalination. Desalination is not a new technology, but it is expensive.  As you know, 97 percent of the water in the world is in the ocean. Since that is the case, we should be able to use that water to meet our needs.  Many companies like General Electric are investing in the future by creating machines that can desalinate water, at an affordable cost. There are about 12,500 desalination plants around the world, they produce about 14 million cubic meters of fresh water each day, but that is less than 1% of total consumption. Coastal states like California and Florida have been producing desalinated water for years, but it is so expensive that it has not caught on. Nonetheless, with the demand of water increasing, investors are interested in preventing disasters, and looking to make a profit, while making water affordable.

 Some private investors have come up with ways to produce Desalinated seawater for $2 dollars per thousand gallons, but environmentalists are opposing the idea saying pumping high salinity wastewater back into the ocean. At some point, we have to learn to work together, and solve problems before they turn into major issues and people die. If we do not have clean water to drink, it will devastate our economy and greatly reduce the quality of life. It is important to honor the environment, but if we do not learn to properly work with the environment, this world will become a disaster. So instead of opposing ideas that will save us, like desalination of seawater, people need to come up with solutions. To further illustrate my point, unemployment in American is high, unemployment benefits have been extended to people who need them for up to two years. Opponents figure people are abusing these benefits. Instead of complaining, add an option voucher to the unemployment benefits, which will allow a person to take the voucher to an employer, get a job and gain skills. The employer will in return use that voucher to pay them employee. If they like the employee, at the end of the term, they can hire them. If not, the employee has gained skills and is an asset to the work force.