Peak water is the risk of water scarcity due to unsustainable use of water resources. It affects hot, dry areas where water supplies are limited and people move in, straining availability. There are three types of water surges: renewable, non-renewable, and ecological peak water. Balancing human needs with ecological concerns is tricky, and reducing water use through conservation measures is important.
Peak water is a term coined to describe the risk of developing water scarcity due to unsustainable uses of water resources. This is a particular concern in hot, dry areas where water supplies are already limited and people could move into the area, placing strain on water availability. While fresh water cannot be depleted entirely, water use is outstripping supply in some communities, creating environmental and social problems. This term gained public attention in 2010 as a result of a study published by hydrologist Peter Gleick discussing the issue of sustainable water use and water surges.
Gleick defines three types of water surges, examining the different environmental and social concerns surrounding water use. The first is renewable peak water, which refers to the use of renewable water resources such as rivers, lakes and streams. These should theoretically be recharged by rainfall and snowmelt, provided communities do not over-extract these resources, drying up rivers and lakes. Some communities in regions such as the American Southwest have already reached this limit.
Another form is non-renewable peak water, which looks to the exploitation of resources such as underground aquifers. These take centuries to develop, and if they are drained they will not fill up for several more centuries. Regions that rely on such resources may reach their limits and find that water is no longer available, even as residents demand more for uses such as bathing, cooking and irrigation. Other resources can become polluted, creating a situation where fresh water is present but not usable.
Ecological peak water is the equilibrium point where human uses of water begin to cause environmental problems, contributing more harm than good. In this case, while more water may be available, it would not be sustainable to draw on those resources, as they may be needed for other things, such as sustaining plant and animal populations. Using too much water can contribute to the development of desertification and other environmental problems.
Balancing human water needs with ecological concerns can be tricky. Water rights negotiations often become contentious, as water resources often span multiple borders. The actions of residents of one region may impact the others, or two communities may need to share the same resource and may struggle to do so fairly. Reducing water use through conservation measures is an important part of dealing with peak water flows, but as human populations grow, this becomes more difficult.
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