Clean Projects - Water Campaign

COAL
NATURAL GAS/FRACKING
NUCLEAR
WIND
AGRIBUSINESS

While humans can live for up to 8 weeks without food, we can't survive more than 5 days without water, even in ideal conditions. Worldwide, our management of water is contributing to millions of deaths every year, caused by limited access, pollution, and unsustainable use in the energy and agriculture industries. Furthermore, there continue to be violent conflicts over water, often leading to political instability and social unrest. Water availability is already a problem in many states in the U.S. and around the globe. Safe drinking water is a real concern for communities across the country and throughout the world.

Water quality and quantity are key to making smart energy choices. In ensuring water safety and using this scarce resource wisely, we can create a sustainable energy future that is good for our health, economy, and environment. If an energy source damages or pollutes water, it should not be considered clean. Similarly, if it uses copious amounts of water, it is not sustainable. We have ready and available technology that is both truly clean and sustainable, and these forms of energy are our best options. Below, specific industries are described in terms of their water impact.

COAL

Coal-fired power plants pose a serious threat to both water quality and water quantity. A 500 MW coal plant uses 2.2 billion gallons of water a year to create steam for power generation. That translates to over 6 million gallons a day! In order to get this water, a plant drains water from a river or stream, often killing thousands of fish each year by trapping them in the intake valves. The so-called "clean coal" schemes being debated in Congress will require anywhere between 40-90% more water than the plant already uses. These costs can and should be avoided by investing in alternative energy forms that don't harm water quality or quantity.

In addition to the enormous water withdrawals for generation, the coal industry also uses water to store the hazardous waste left over from production. This waste is often left in unlined and uncovered ponds that are not regulated. This liquid then finds its way back into aquifers, rivers and streams where we get our water, sometimes with carcinogens and other pollutants added. These plants and coal ash ponds are often located in lower class neighborhoods, adding health burdens to people already suffering from poverty and lower education standards, contributing to a cycle of poverty and health problems. However the pollution emitted into the air can also travel for miles and end up in reservoirs that serve people even further from the plant.

NATURAL GAS/FRACKING

Fracking (Hydroaulic Fracturing) is a process in which chemical-laden water is blasted underground in order to stimulate natural gas wells and increase the volume of gas withdrawn. The natural gas industry is exempt from federeal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act, meaning that they do not need to disclose which chemicals are being used. In addition, these chemicals are often left underground where they leach into groundwater that we rely on for drinking. Additionally, air emissions from natural gas plants are causing health problems across the country, despite the industry's reassurance that natural gas is "clean."

While there have been many successful efforts to forbid or postpone fracking development, this practice is on the rise in many states across the country. Most recently, there has been an effort to block fracking in the Marcellus Shale, which lays under large parts of New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In fracking for this gas, the industry is putting the drinking supply of local residents and several major cities – including New York City – at risk. We can't trust the health of millions of people to an industry that is unwilling to disclose the chemicals that they are injecting into the earth. After all, if they have nothing to hide, why not be more transparent and accountable?

NUCLEAR

The nuclear power industry, like the natural gas and coal industries, threatens the quality and quantity of our water. In terms of quality, a recent report found that a quarter of all nuclear plants in the U.S. are leaking radioactive tritium – a carcinogen – into rivers and streams across the country. Not only does this impact humans through drinking water, it also pollutes ecosystems that animals, plants, and humans depend on. Furthermore, the wastes produced in nuclear energy generation remain radioactive - and therefore hazardous - for thousands of years, jeopardizing not only current water supplies, but the water supply of generations to come.

Nearly every step of the nuclear cycle uses enormous amounts of water, from mining to disposal. A single reactor in Georgia uses enough water every day to fill an aquarium the size of a football field that is 75 feet deep. Similarly, a typical uranium mine uses approximate 200-300 gallons per minute – the equivalent of flushing your toilet 85 times each minute! Compare that with alternative forms of energy that withdraw and consume no water, such as wind.

WIND

Wind power requires no water to operate, and creates no toxic wastes. Furthermore, offshore wind turbines in Europe has proven to create artificial reefs that become homes for many different types of marine species, adding to their natural surroundings, unlike conventional forms of energy. In building new turbines, we can displace old, dirty, and unhealthy forms of energy, meaning that new turbines not only create direct benefits, but also displace many negative impacts from our current energy mix. Unlike coal, nuclear, and natural gas, wind power is an example of clean and sustainable energy because it doesn't waste or pollute water, and it creates minimal negative impacts, many of which can be mitigated. Wind power will be essential in building an energy infrastructure that protects drinking water and clean air.

AGRIBUSINESS

Our current system of agriculture is both unsustainable and severely threatening to our drinking water supply. Due to the U.S. reliance on cheap, corn-fed beef, enormous amounts of water are used to grow the corn needed to feed the cows. 800,000 gallons of water are needed to raise one cow, the vast majority of which goes to grow the corn that they eat. Because of centralized, factory farming, huge amounts of manure and chemical-laden fertilizer are transported to grow the water-intensive crops that feed the cattle who are too densely concentrated to eat the grass that they would normally consume. This throws off the entire cycle of the environment, and leads to massive pollution and water waste. Furthermore, much of this farming happens in areas that are draining water faster than it can be replenished, leading to drought and increased water prices. Like energy, the agriculture industry should be exploring localized, sustainable practices that provide price and product stability that will meet demand in the long run.