Businesses are already under enough pressure to thrive and survive in today’s economic situation. But water is now adding to the demands and pressures of business survival, associated more with risks than anything. In the past, we didn’t hear much about water as a risk to businesses, but today it is much more common. The California water crisis has been in the news much more often lately and there are many reasons we all should be concerned about water and the world we live in. Companies, communities and countries are starting to recognize that water means “crisis” or “risk” both for businesses and households.
According to Joel Makower’s blog on GreenBiz, climate change isn’t the only thing leading to water shortages. Population growth and economic growth are also wreaking havoc on our water supplies due to what he calls growth of consumption. As millions of people work their way into the middle class, demand and water usage increases. Not only will these people cook more and use more water for personal hygiene, but it also takes a tremendous amount of water to make the chemicals, materials, food, fuels, energy and other things that the middle class enjoys and economic growth can bring.
The business impact is that water shortages have companies competing for usage with other companies or households and may not be able to handle the limitations that a crisis could bring. As the article explains, water shortages can throw off a supply chain. Their example is when a power plant lacks cooling water and must shut down electricity production to its customers, or restrictions on mining lead to shortages and higher prices. As stated in the article, not just water-intensive companies, like farming or energy production are affected. There are several factors leading companies to view water more as a risk factor that needs to be managed and mitigated until they “sink or swim.”
How can we conserve what we have so that it is available for our needs in the future? If you use an old water softener system in your home, consider replacing it with a more eco-friendly, metered soft water system such as the ones we offer.
If we can all begin to make responsible decisions when it comes to water conservation and our personal water usage, we can try to reduce the water crisis to just a concern. Weather and climate patterns show minimal signs of improvement and if our supplies are not replenished soon during this rainy season, we are in big trouble. Many homeowners are not able to compete with companies or agriculture for their water needs.
