The Weight of Water

Health Status Will Soon Be Affected By Access To Water…

These days, there is a lot of talk about obesity, physical activity, and tobacco use. And for good reason. Indeed, these three health behaviors alone are responsible for about half of all deaths in the United States each year. But, while the nation has become obsessed with addressing these three issues, another major health issue is slowing emerging.

Clean water.

Lest you think I’m kidding about clean water as THE health issue of the future, consider the fact the Americans are already spending $7.7 billion a year on bottled water. With this kind of money at stake, it doesn’t take a sharp ear to hear thunder.

In fact, I recently purchased a six pack of bottled water from a grocery store that I won’t mention here (it was Whole Foods) and the bill was almost $10 bucks!

Let me repeat, $10 bucks.

I guess I was too stunned to take it back, so I anteed up the cash. It was only after I looked up the statistics on annual bottled water expenditures that I was somewhat relieved to see that I am not the only rube forking over this kind of scratch.

From my experience at Whole Foods, it’s clear to me that the water in this country is already running uphill–towards money. And, according to the nation’s best minds, it’s only going to get worse.

As the nation continues to increase its water consumption (the typical American consumes 50 gallons per day) and as climate changes emerge, parts of the U.S. are already feeling the pinch.

In an article published April 6, 2007 in the Chicago Tribune, staff writers Alan Zarembo and Bettina Boxall state, “The driest periods of the last century—the Dust Bowl of the 1930s and the droughts of the 1950s—may become the norm in the Southwest United States.”

If you are unfamiliar with the Dust Bowl days, I encourage you to read, “The Worst Hard Time,” by Timothy Egan. In this brilliant book, Egan provides stunning insights into an eight-year U.S. drought that brought most of the southwestern U.S. to the brink of despair and destruction.

From where I sit, the difference between then and now has to do with the fact that Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, and Dallas (just to mention a few) were not population centers–nor were they major centers of commerce in this country. Mark Twain said it best, “Whiskey is for drinking. Water is worth fighting over.”

There can be little question that, for a lot of people, water is going to be the new currency. And those who have it will have health. Those who don’t will feel the impact in a big way.

The time to start addressing this issue is now. To learn more about how you can conserve water, visit this link.

Dr. David Hunnicutt

Copyright 2006, David Hunnicutt.com

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The views and perspectives presented by Dr. Hunnicutt do not necessarily represent those of WELCOA.