WellDone Post #4 Where Does My Water Come From? Recently, I realized that in the quest to understand ‘the global water crisis’ better, I would have to start at home. I know that I have access to water 24 hours a day, that it is mostly clean and somewhat fluoridated, and that I have an individual home connection. But, I would like to know more. So I asked out loud, to no one in particular: Where does my water come from? And how does it get to my tap? After a little research, I found a wonderful resource by the Water Education Foundation. They have created a module that allows Californians to see where their water comes from through an interactive map. Being a resident of San Francisco, I have been educated that my water comes from the Hetch Hetchy Project operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. But what I did not know is that the Hetch Hetchy reservoir, located in Yosemite National Park, was built on the Tuolumne River in 1923. John Muir, the well-known naturalist and preservationist, fought for many years against building a dam in this region. Since San Francisco was recovering from the 1906 earthquake, they needed water and electricity to support the rebuilding efforts. In the end, John Muir’s pleas failed and Congress (since it was federally-owned land) voted for the dam, allowing the Hetch Hetchy valley to be flooded. Though the reservoir supports 2.4 million Bay Area residents, and its water is transported 156 miles to San Francisco, many environmentalists are still asking for the reservoir’s restoration to its original pristine state: Public utilities act as the service providers for the water supply. They are owned by the state and usually manage distribution for a municipality or town. Most of the urban water supply (90%) in the world is provided by a public utility—of course the numbers for the rural population is quite abysmal, but that is another post! The utility’s job includes setting up a water supply system (like the Hetch Hetchy project), of which the water is sourced from an aquifer (underground) or lakes and rivers (surface water). They then purify the water through chlorination and disinfection, and finally transport it through underground pipes. Water is ‘assisted’ in flow either through water pressure pumps or by gravity. San Francisco, Boston, New York, and Portland are among the cities that receive minimally treated surface water because their water comes as runoff from snow melt which is quite pure, while 90% of U.S. residents get groundwater. San Diego, on the other hand, imports most of its water from other areas, specifically northern California and the Colorado River. Their distribution pipelines transport water a total of 300 miles! Since San Diego is a coastal city, and semi-arid, it may have issues with saltwater intrusion – where groundwater aquifers have become mostly salty due to ocean water and therefore undrinkable. It may be worth it to find out how clean drinking water gets to you. The chances are, you will end up learning something about the water supply that you did not know or would not have guessed. And that will eventually lead to better water practices like conservation and reclamation, which in turn adds longevity to the country’s water supply. Happy researching (and thoughts!), Shwetha Sridharan Read More

I am just back from a short but enriching visit to Haiti. Having picked up no Kreyól but definitely lots of smiles, I relished in the relaxed nature of the Haitian people. I have just spent 10 days in Port-Au-Prince, working with an organization named World Cares, an on the ground disaster response NGO. Along with 11 other eager volunteers, I set out to learn more about Haiti and give out donations that we had collected from friends and family. Of course, I kept a special eye out for WatSan experiences so I could come back and share with the WellDone family. Here is what I learned and saw… Read More

World Water Week In case many of you don’t know, World Water Week just finished in Stockholm, Sweden. World Water Week takes place every year and is hosted by SIWI (Stockholm International Water Institute). During August 21st – 27th, professionals from science, business, civil society, and government from all over the world will come together and exchange views and practices on this year’s theme - ‘Water in an Urbanizing World’. Each year’s topic builds upon the last, in an effort to find real answers to the world’s water challenges. The workshops and seminars at World Water Week are designed by the Scientific Water Committee, a group of scientists, experts, and professors from the development and water fields. Here are some examples of the topics that will be discussed: Integrated Urban Flood Management Challenges and Approaches in the Developing World History, Ethics, Religious Values: Contributions to Water and Food Security Human-right Based Approach and Community Involvement in Public Water Supply in Tanzania Making Sure That Dams Don’t Create More Problems Than They Solve How to Reach Millions - A Pro-poor Approach for Water and Sanitation in Urban Areas In addition, there are over 100 workshops and seminars addressing urban water and sanitation challenges. To see the full schedule and what each discussion addresses, click here. A component of World Water Week that has been popular is the Water Cube, a giant glass-walled video room where anyone can document/speak/share their work or views on water. These videos get edited right away and posted online for real-time viewing at www.watercube.tv. An interesting video I saw was Ard Schoemaker from the Rain Foundation, speaking about a new focus in water management- the three R’s: Recharge, Retention and Reuse – “How to store water in the soil and use it at a predictable time”. He is focusing on rain water as a viable source of potable water, and saving it wisely so nothing gets lost. Complementing WellDone’s efforts in Ghana, Stanley Martey of Ghana Water Company Limited explains how the community has been able to take over a water management contract, and with support of the Ghanaian government, manage water operations to its citizens by “increasing coverage, saving peri-urban areas, and providing customer care”. You can check out his video here. Currently, WellDone’s Jim Yoon is there, collaborating and learning about what the big players in the water sector are saying about water security and moving towards everyone’s goal of clean and safe water for all, while also being a representative for WellDone’s work. In the coming weeks, hopefully some concrete solutions or lessons will come out of World Water Week, which I plan share with you. In the mean time, you can learn more about this week dedicated to water at www.worldwaterweek.org. Happy Thoughts, Shwetha Read More