The same wells that were overflowing with water centuries ago; today, are in danger of running dry. Water supply hasn’t changed; earth has the same water as it did when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Ninety-seven percent of that is salt water, and the other 3 percent is fresh water. That won’t change. The problem is simply people; our increasing numbers are abusing one of our precious resources. The world population grows by nearly 80 million people each year. The United States uses three times as much water a day-1,300 gallons per person- as the average European country. Water is diverted, disputed, dammed and polluted. Water is a commodity we can no longer take for granted. Water supply has inspired needs to create water ways to supply us with fresh water, to sustain life were it could not survive otherwise. I will be talking about the western water supply, development, pollution, and restoration.

We rarely think about it. It is at our finger tips. Fresh water is the blood of our land, and the nourishment for our crops. All together the United States uses 339 billion gallons of surface water a day. Lake levels are dropping

dams, locks, or diversions. Regulated dams effect stream shape, riverine vegetation, and in stream aquatic communities. We control the destiny of our rivers. Dams were

the dam have been dramatically altered. Some have loss all life and others have run dry. Dams also alter the salmon cycle. Dams have contributed to the extinction of 106 native salmon. With the dams in place, rivers flow at lower levels and the salmon cannot make their annual run to lay their eggs. They try to accommodate the salmon by building salmon stairs on the edges of the river. The problem with that is the salmon instincts are climb the river in the middle of the stream, not on the edges. S when they attempt to climb on the sides of the river, they sometime get caught on land or get stuck in the fencing. Dams also cause bank erosion, floods, and silt build up. Dams also prevent flooding. If there is a valley that is subject to destructive flooding, we dam it. Silt naturally flows down river and is deposited into the ocean. Then it settles and becomes like a fertilizer for the plant life. The dams cause silt build up in the dam and in the streams below. Dams capture all sediments with sever consequence. Sediment-depleted water can erode finer sediments from the receiving channel. This alters native fish

For now and for ever, there will be battles going on in Congress over land for industry. With environmentalists pushing for new laws. For instance setting form lands at a certain distance from river banks, and redesign bridges to make room for streams. As we as a society become more aware and concerned with our environment, big oil companies are in for a difficult time. Drilling for oil will, I think, soon disappear, or may-be not. Recycling of waters waste to conserve water will become more common, and conservation will become more innovative. I hope that society wakes up soon to realize that the little fresh water on our planet probably will disappear soon if things don’t change for the better, if people don’t wake up. Research is happening all the time. With the removal of dams, scientists are studing before and after affects of removing a dam. Their trying to understand if now removing the dams is the best solution.

There are about 80,000 dams in the United States. Hundreds of locks, dams, power plants. These dams are great, but on the same token, they create a lot of problems with the environment. Dams have altered the flow of many of the nation’s rivers to meet societal needs. Most of the rivers that run wild have been tamed by dams. From these dams water is released down stream not according to natural cycles but as directed by the regions hour-by-hour need for water or electricity. As a result of dams, channels below

Some topics in this essay:
United Hundreds, FRSH WATER, Western Instead, Tuscan Arizona, United Agriculture, American Rivers, Water Act, Niagara Falls, Development Water, John Sullivan, water supply, fresh water, ground water, clean water act, dams built, water supplies, supply development, building dams, thousands dollars, silt build, water supply development, ground water supply, dams cause,