Issue of Water Conservation in the US: Opportunities and Challenges

Although almost three-fourth of the globe is covered with water, drinking water constitutes a minuscule 1-2 per cent of it. With the passage of time, the world has been witnessing a constant increase in water consumption due to the rising population. As a result, we are draining out more water per day than is being replenished, leading to concerns over availability of drinking water in the future.

These concerns necessitate the conservation and reuse of water. However, water conversation is not a function of any single variable, instead, it can make an impact only if practiced over various usages and is adopted by more individuals spread over larger geographies. There are multiple means to achieve this and with stakeholders spread across various industries, government bodies and individuals, there is a need for identification of this issue as a distinct industry that can be served by participants and is rewarding for all.

This report entitled ‘Issues of Water Conservation in the US: Opportunities and Challenges’ provides a detailed overview and a succinct, but deep-dive analysis of the US water conservation industry. The report gives an insight into the water usage pattern in the country across various categories comprising: Public, Domestic, Industrial and Irrigation supply. The report also identifies various reasons that are resulting in the decline in the usage of water in various categories, which in turn, reflects the successful outcome of water conservation initiatives undertaken by the world’s largest economy.

In this context, the report addresses the issues of water conservation in the US and identifies opportunities and challenges for various stakeholders like Individuals/Households, Government Agencies, Bathroom Fixture Makers, Water Pipes Makers, Drainage pipes Makers, Construction Industry, Water Treatment Plants, and Sewage Treatment Plants amongst others..Key findings in the report include:

• Supported by the adoption of more efficient irrigation systems like sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation systems, the water requirement for the country’s irrigation sector declined to approximately 128,000 million gallons/day in 2005 (latest available data) from around 139,000 million gallons/day in 2000
• The implementation of strict environmental laws and downsizing of some of the water intensive industries (e.g. coal and petroleum) has led to a decline in the volume of water required for industrial purposes. This dropped from approximately 25,800 million gallons/day in 1985 to around 18,200 million gallons/day in 2005