Everyday we obtain water in a wide range of ways varying from agriculture uses to the common everyday cleaning. We have excessive clean water without even the thought of where it comes from. "The water that is available here in Southern California comes from the rain and snowfall and the Klamath and Colorado rivers at the opposite ends of our state. The rain fall occurs in the northern part of the state and flows through a river system that includes the Sacramento, Feather and Yuba rivers as the largest tributaries."(California Farm Water Correlation) For the rest of the US and other countries the process of retaining water is generally the same, it comes from the rain fall or a river of some sort. What people don't ever think about is how much water we can or should use. In a sense people take advantage of water. Will there always be an abundance of water at our fingertips? Although water is returned to us through the rain, it does not always fall in the spot that is needed most. .
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Throughout the world there continues to be a use of uneven distribution of water. "More than two billion people live in highly water-stressed areas because the uneven distribution of RFWR (renewable fresh water resources).(Global Hydrological Cycles and World Water) The loss of fresh water also contributes too many other issues, such as food sacristy, health issues and poverty which are all interlinked in many developing countries, particularly in the regions where freshwater resources are scarce. Desertification is another leading contribute to the loss of water. It is an unfortunate side effect from poor use of water. "It refers to the persistent degradation of dry land ecosystems by climatic variations and human activities." (Scientific Facts on Desertification).
Water is the most vital component of life and without water we would cease to exist. So why then do we take advantage of something so important to us? The issues of ways we gain our water and then store it has been with us since the beginning of time.