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<br /> <br />UiJ~ 1/ J <br /> <br /> <br />a fixed SIIIII'/)' /"S. an Incr(,(I.'lIlg need <br /> <br />In the past. most pt'Opll' tool.: \\"at~r a, much fur <br />granted ;IS the air they breathed. ~O\\- Oil evcry <br />hand-from municipal olncials, lIlanufacturers, <br />con,en"ati'll1islS, farnwrs. housewives. and <br />olllen-coul{> e>.prc,;s;oTlS of concern o\"cr watl'! <br />5horta~c~. Till' :'\atioll is not rurUlin~ out of <br />watt'r; there is juoa as much of;t as there t'\"C'r was. <br />\\"c arc just usim.' sn much !\l"fe of it. <br />\\"31<:r is pu'cipiutcd frolll the atmosphere in <br />one form Of anr>thcr-rain. sno\\', sln:t, hail. frost. <br />ll! .1('\\. It runs across the land. servilli-' a m~'ri.1J <br />of need" and II1('lJ is drawn back into the skies, <br />Slxm to f.111 al.:.lin and rereat its ]if,.-",i\'in~ cycle .If <br />prt'cipitalinll and evaporation. <br />Each rear just ,,0 lllllch water blls on the l'nitcd <br />Statc~ and no more. For.1.'\ l<ln~ as recf)rd~ han' <br />been kept. this amount has been aboUI 30 inchc~. <br />Since precipilatioJ\ remains rdatin'ly constant, it <br />follol\'~ that thl' :\ation\ fresh wat~'r surrl~' also is <br />rclatin:ly fixeJ. <br />This fixeJ amount of precipitation nera~s <br />about ,,".300 billion gallons peT Jay. :\'ot all nf <br />this s~rninll:ly \"Olst quantilyofw.Her is a\"ailable <br />for use. howenr. Se\'enty pt'(cent 01 it. or 3,100 <br />billion 1(.1l1ons. is returneJ each dOlY to the sky by <br />e\'aroration alld by the breathill~ and perspirim: <br />of plants. animals, and man. :\'either is all of the <br />remaining 30 pncent. or I.~OO billion g'allons. <br />a\'ailahle for Ollr use. A lar~c propMtion of this <br />occurs as flcxxl water which quickly runs off to <br />the ocean-Fone before we ha\'e a chance to use it. <br />An increasing share of that \\hich is left is ,roiled <br />by pollution. <br /> <br />It has been calculated by WHCf supply experts <br />that not Illarc than (,()() billioIl I.:a][ons per Jar of <br />till' \\.11er that falls on this country can be kept <br />;lxailabie for use in the :\atinn's lakes anJ streams. <br />It is on this IlxeJ {(('sh water supply that tht, con- <br />tinut.J KroI\'th anJ prosperity nf the United States <br />dcpt'nds. <br />In Il)(Xl we \\cre lar~elr a rural nation and useJ <br />only .W billion o:alluns of ffl'sh W,ltcr per Jay. <br />Today we are predominantly urban and our <br />Jomestic, municipal, industri.ll and al;ricultural <br />frl'sh water USl" has ri~l'n to17L) billioa to:aIlon~ per <br />Ja~'. ,\nJ by 19~O, only 22 years away, it is <br />predicted that our fresh wattr llt:eds will he 600 <br />billion to:allons per Jar! Thu~. in little m'lrc than <br />tWI) decaJes. tht' daily demand for fre!oh water will <br />be equal to thl" daily stlpply. <br />\\'hen the dema.nd exceed. the supply, as it <br />alrcadr has in mallY pa~Bof the counu}', the only <br />war needs can be met is by reu.ing the same water <br />o\"er and on'r. IInwc\er, v. be suitable for reuse <br />the water must he of thc ri~h! quality as weB as in <br />the ril.':ht quantity. This require. that adl'quate <br />pt,lIuti"n corHml measures be prrn'iJed and main. <br />uineJ. ~l,>re "m'w" waler can be pw\'iJcJ by <br />cOlltrol1ino: pollution than by allY Olher means. <br />/: II j?t'turally .1.fr((d Ih<ll from '10~' 0'1 Ih, .\'0- <br />lio'l'1 ~'(l~'r 'Iuds C4'l bot b, ur-...i b" ,.o,::roffill" <br />poflr.rio.: to j.,(r,,:it Ill,. r'p'<lur! rn.u of th, sllm' <br />~t'aUr OJ it .rfo~t'J jrom ,it)' (0 (It)' allJ jron: IIlduJ/ry <br />fO indIiJlr)'. <br /> <br />3 <br /> <br />