Clean surface water is vital for human survival, as it is one of the primary contributors to our drinking water sources. We know that, but in the hustle and bustle of life it is easy to forget how important and interconnected everything is. For all we know, the carbon dioxide we exhale could have been a dinosaur, then buried as coal for millions of years, and now recycled back into the air. Human life revolves around having clean surface water, but how does it affect the economics and products of our local businesses?
Surface water is any body of water that exists above ground and interacts with the air. This includes:
Poor surface water quality typically indicates the presence of pollutants and other bacteria that can negatively impact aquatic life, human health, and overall ecosystem health.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, within the Department of the Interior, surface water accounts for two-thirds of the country’s drinking water sources. Contaminated drinking water can lead to various health problems, from immediate illnesses to long-term conditions like cancer, with effects varying based on the contaminant and exposure. While drinking water undergoes treatment, maintaining good surface water quality is crucial as it can directly impact treatment effectiveness and public health outcomes.
In addition to affecting drinking water, a study by the Conservancy of South Florida has associated poor water quality to negative economic consequences. The study was conducted in southeast Florida and aimed to measure the impact that large, detrimental water quality events (such as harmful algal bloom, heavy raining/floods, hurricanes) have on their community.
The study found that in an event that would deteriorate water quality over a 4,210 square mile area, the study area would lose:
This study illustrates that poor water quality has more impacts than just on drinking water.
Clean surface water is fundamental to a healthy economy and local businesses. Many sectors, from manufacturing to agriculture, to hotels and restaurants rely on surface water. For example, water is everything for breweries. It is the primary ingredient in beers and ciders, making up more than 90% of most beers. The quality of the water significantly influences the taste, aroma, and overall characteristics of your favorite adult beverage.
Unsuitable water quality not only comprises the taste of beer, but also interferes with the brewing process and increases production costs. Poor water quality, in collaboration with climate change impacts, could potentially lead to significant increases in beer costs. Some experts have projected that a six-pack could cost as much as $100 within 50 years.
Clean surface water can also support local businesses by attracting those involved in outdoor recreation. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, anglers will spend $99.4 billion on fishing in 2022. Combine that with hunting, Americans spent a total of $144.8 billion on recreational fishing and hunting. Trip-related expenses, such as food, lodging, and transportation, made up $48.9 billion (34%) of this total ad equipment purchases accounted for $60.3 billion (42%). The remaining $35.4 billion (24%) covered other expenditures, including magazines, membership dues, contributions, land leasing and ownership, and licenses, stamps, tags, and permits.
Having infrastructure in place to source, clean, and treat water is important for many sectors to be able to operate efficiently. A one-day disruption in water service can lead to a potential daily loss of $43.5 billion in sales nationally, and in some cases sales can drop by up to 75%. While such a disruption is unlikely, this figure highlights just how critical having access to clean and consistent water is to our economy.
Conserving natural systems is vital to protecting surface water quality and increasing resilience during events that affect water quality. Ecosystems are already designed to filter and remove pollutants from the water to support life.
Wetlands, for example, absorb and filter surface water. They can act as a buffer between bodies of water and communities, and are able to store as much as 1.5 million gallons of floodwater per acre. Beyond wetlands, healthy forests also play a crucial role in surface water quality. Forests can protect surface water quality by filtering out contaminants and sediment from entering streams and rivers.
Prioritizing wetland and habitat conservation is increasingly important, especially because time and time again we see that nature often does a better and more economic job than built infrastructure. The real life effects of investing in wetland and habitat conservation can be seen in New York City, showcasing that green infrastructure can be significantly more cost-effective than traditional systems.
The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) began implementing the Watershed Protection Program in 1997. By strategically conserving land within the watershed, and other various initiatives, NYC worked to naturally filter pollutants from their surface waters to positively affect their drinking water supply. This approach costs NYC approximately $100 million annually to maintain, as opposed to the estimated $12 billion cost of building and $600 million annual maintenance for a traditional filtration plant.
Implementing nature-based solutions can deliver multiple benefits to help ensure cleaner water, while supporting ecological balance economic prosperity.
Unique Places to Save is actively working to restore and conserve high-quality land and aquatic resources through various projects focused on conservation, restoration, habitat support, and working lands.
Unique Places to Save is involved in projects like the High Falls Dam Removal and the successful Hoosier Dam Removal along the Deep and Rocky Rivers in North Carolina. Removing these dams restores natural surface river flow, allows sediment to move downstream naturally, and reconnects hundreds of miles of upstream aquatic networks. This supports federally endangered species, expands habitat for aquatic life, and improves water quality by addressing issues like thermal stratification.
Removing the Hoosier and High Falls dams have the potential to positively affect 795 miles of waterways in North Carolina. Going back to the many breweries whose beer is affected by the quality of water from those waterways and with nearly 10,000 breweries across the U.S. in need of clean surface water to make these popular beverages, it is easy to see how they rely on conservation projects like dam removals as an important part of their economic success.
Clean surface water is undeniably one the most important aspects of human life, but as it turns out it is also an important aspect of our local economies. Businesses that heavily rely on water, such as breweries, and the entire outdoor recreation sector, thrive when surface water is clean and reliable.
You can help make a difference! Sharing this information, encouraging friends and family to get involved, and supporting organizations like Unique Places to Save to help further our purpose of protecting high-quality aquatic resources. If you are able, please make a donation to our organization of conserving precious land and water across the country.