Is Your Fresh Water At Risk?

Water is an abundant resource -- the earth's surface is 71 percent water, after all. But did you realize that only 2.5 percent of all of that water, and I'm talking volume now, is potable? Of the potable water, nearly 70 percent is frozen, nearly 30 percent is subsurface, both as soil moisture and in underground aquifers. That leaves (depending on the information source) .007-.009 percent usable for people. Whew! If you like statistics and want to see even more about water, visit this water supply education page.

And to make the water issue even more complex, or frustrating, the usable water isn't evenly distributed around the world, or even necessarily distributed near population centers. The critical way of looking at the water resource issue is to say usable water is limited, and the pressure for more water is increasing daily.

The pressure on more potable water increases as the population grows, our agricultural needs expand, and business needs increase. Roughly 20 percent of processed water is used by manufacturing and industry, 6 percent in residential settings, and 74 percent by irrigation/agriculture.

With the hospitality industry being part of the 20 percent consumption figure, we are significant players in the upcoming water crisis. It's time for the hospitality industry to step up and lead the way in resolving the problem before it becomes a crisis. The price will be high for all of us if our attitudes and actions don't change soon. The economic and public relations benefits of being proactive will be a significant plus for the industry if it is proactive -- and a big black eye if it waits too long.

Water is so cheap that most think it's abundant, and feel that if we have the money to pay the bill there's no problem with wasting the water. Typically water charges don't cover the cost of getting potable water to the user and aren't "fairly" assessed. Often the "big users" get discounts, encouraging waste. Instead, pricing should be used to encourage conservation. With a finite supply of water, how are we going to satisfy all the needs? The answer lies in water conservation and efficiency.

The world's potable water supply is at risk and the question isn't whether there will be major shortages, but when those shortages are going to affect you. They will affect your personal life and business in a big way. It's time to start doing something to ensure your fresh water supply.

The Pacific Institute published a research paper called (PDF file) Freshwater Resources: Managing the Risks Facing the Private Sector. One conclusion reached in the paper is, "Water-related risks now pose a potential multibillion-dollar threat to a wide variety of businesses and investors."

What are our solution options?

One option is via technology, where we'll see more affordable and effective water filtration and desalination, which is currently very expensive -- and consumes significant energy. Another is being guided by the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals, especially the goal to ensure environmental sustainability -- reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.

Regulation will be another solution, though one I would love to see avoided. Rather, business should control their fate and implement their own water conservation and recycling programs. If business and citizens don't start doing something, regulators will. And when governments step in, they create solutions that aren't necessarily the best for everyone -- and ultimately tend to cost much more.

And probably the most powerful solution will come from reducing the demand for water through conservation and reuse, like with closed-loop processes. Water and energy issues are tightly connected; when you conserve one you typically are conserving the other. So those companies that have already implemented energy conservation measures will ultimately benefit the most because they have a head start on the water issues.

Jason Morrison, Director of the Pacific Institute's Economic Globalization and the Environment Program, says "There are solutions, but unless companies start taking steps to protect themselves and protect water resources, they could find their operations in jeopardy." In doing my research for this article I was struck by the similarities between the energy crisis and the water crisis. The general public didn't see the energy crisis coming just as they don't see the water crisis coming. Both came from blind optimism about the supply abundance and the resulting waste. Another parallel is that electricity costs, at least in the U.S., have been kept artificially low.

The differences I see though are that when there is a power shortage you can turn on a generator and bridge the gap between services, but you can't do that with water; when the water is gone, the water is gone and we don't have a technology yet that generates water without an exorbitant price.

What does a hospitality venue do when there's no water? No showers for guests, no water for cleaning dishes, no water to fill the pool or jetted tub, and no water for flushing toilets. In other words, no guests.

The report from the Pacific Institute shares ten steps that can be taken to reduce water-related risks and to protect long-term value of the business. The companies that seriously address this issue will be seen as leaders by others.
1. Measure current water use to establish your benchmark
2. Assess the local water landscape and associated water risks to short-circuit possible community tensions and to develop contingency plans
3. Consult with your stakeholders, the local groups impacted by your presence
4. Engage the supply chain and work collaboratively with the suppliers to ensure a steady supply
5. Establish a water policy, set corollary goals and targets
6. Implement the best available technology to reduce water consumption and wastewater discharge, and improve water quality
7. Factor water risk into your business decisions
8. Measure and report your performance
9. Form strategic partnerships to more efficiently and effectively address your regional water issues
10. Commit to continuous improvement in assessing and managing your water situation to help protect your hospitality operation

Not enough people have thought about the risks to their businesses from a water shortage. Generally, the people making business and investment decisions are unaware of the threat of a water shortage or of the management and technology tools available to reduce the risk and protect the company. But as already stated, it's not a question of "if", it's a question of "when".

For more information on issues affecting your water, visit TheGoodWaterLady.com.

Taking control of your water situation is an ECOnomically Sound decision. One your hospitality business and community can thrive with.