Water Supply Challenges for the 21st Century

Opening Statement By Chairman Bart Gordon

Good morning and welcome to today’s hearing.  Water is the essential input to virtually everything we do – from growing and processing food to manufacturing the products we use everyday to producing the energy we need to power our economy.  Water is essential to all life and to maintain public health and the diversity and beauty of our environment.

The recent droughts experienced in the West and the Southeast and increased competition for water supplies suggest that we must take a closer look at how we are managing our water resources.

Thirty-six states expect to experience significant water shortages by 2013.  Population growth, increased per capita water use, degraded water quality, and climate change have all impacted our available supplies of water.  In my district, water sources have dried up and wells have run dry, and towns have been forced to implement water restrictions to deal with decreased supply.  According to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the first eight months of 2007 were the driest in the last 118 years of Tennessee history.

When severe water shortages occur, the economic impact is substantial.  In 2007, the Tennessee Valley Authority was forced to shut down a nuclear reactor due to a lack of acceptable cooling water in the Tennessee River.  According to a 2000 report from NOAA, each of the eight water shortages over the past 20 years from drought or heat waves resulted in $1 billion or more in monetary losses.  A recent report by J.P. Morgan indicated that a single production interruption at a semiconductor plant could cost $200 million in lost revenue.

I believe with investment in research and development, public education and better information on the status of our water supplies we can avoid the high costs, social disruption, and environmental damage associated with water shortages.

Our Committee has already begun to bring forward legislation to help us to better utilize water resources.  Last week, the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment reported bills by Rep. Hall and Rep. Matheson to authorize research at the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency on water treatment and to increase the efficiency of our water use.  We will be looking for more opportunities to address this important issue.

I would like to thank our panelists for appearing before us today to share with us their views on the problems we currently face in water supply and their suggestions for addressing these problems in the future.  I look forward to a lively discussion from this impressive panel.

Witnesses

Panel

3 - Dr. Robert Wilkinson
Director of the Water Policy Program Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California Bren School of Environmental Science and Mana
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1 - Dr. Stephen Parker
Director, Water Science and Technology Board National Research Council National Research Council
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2 - Dr. Jonathan Overpeck
Director of the Institute for the Study of Planet Earth Professor of Geosciences and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Arizona Professor of Geosciences and At
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4 - Mr. Marc Levinson
Economist, U.S. Corporate Research J.P. Morgan Chase J.P. Morgan Chase
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5 - Dr. Roger Pulwarty
Director for the U.S. National Integrated Drought Information System Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Climate Program Office National Oceanic and Atmo
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