How To Address Your (Water) Sensitivity
As I monitor the daily flow (pardon the pun) of water-industry news, product launches, and initiatives for special coverage on Water Online and in Water Innovations, a basic investigative question is “Who is this intended for?” When the opportunity arose to interview Gemma Dunn, the integrated water management service line coordinator with GHD North America, about GHD’s new Water Sensitive Cities Index, I soon came to a new question:
What city isn’t water sensitive?
If water scarcity isn’t an issue, due to drought, population growth, and overdrawing or contamination of source water, then flooding and sewer overflow — the result of old infrastructure and increasingly frequent extreme weather events — are likely concerns. In the U.S., at least, you would be in the minority if you are not experiencing one or the other, and sometimes both (see Texas). Elsewhere, cities and communities of all types are dealing with the degradation of once-reliable resources — the result of saltwater intrusion or Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination in groundwater, for instance — as yet another threat. And considering the importance of water for both individual and community survival, every city should be water sensitive in terms of prioritizing this precious resource and safeguarding future supply, even if these stressors aren’t impacting current operations. When Benjamin Franklin stated, “When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water,” it was actually a lesson on preparedness — a plea to address a potential crisis before it happens.