Exposing America's Water Crisis

Cynthia Barnett says Americans live under an "illusion of water abundance" and calls for government water managers and private water companies to "stem the drain on America's water resources before it's too late."

2 minute read

November 13, 2012, 7:00 AM PST

By Jessica Hsu


"From California to Florida," writes Barnett, "freshwater aquifers are being pumped so much faster than they recharge that many parts of the country can no longer rely on groundwater to supply future populations." Yet most Americans are not aware of the reality of water scarcity and "still pump with abandon to do things like soak the turf grass that covers 63,240 square miles of the nation." While the Ogallala Aquifer and Georgia's Lake Lanier are out of sight for most people, Lake Mead is "one of the few places in the United States where the illusion of water abundance is being exposed for what it is: a beautiful bubble doomed to pop, just like other great national illusions - the unending bull market, say, or upward-only housing prices."

Lake Mead is the nation's largest reservoir, but its water level has dropped to expose a calcium-carbonate bathtub ring resulting from the "over-allocation of the Colorado River and the drought still battering so much of the United States." Barnett believes that the "ever-widening ring is the perfect starting point to talk to the millions who show up at Hoover Dam about our need to live differently with water," but on a recent tour, the guides described the system as an "assured and reliable water supply" and "uttered not one word about the dramatic drought that has unfolded since."

"As cheap water flows from our taps like magic, our freshwaters have become the single most degraded of America's major resources, identified by the USGS and other agencies as having lost a greater portion of their species and habitat than land ecosystems."

While the average American remains in the dark about the drought, however, "from Australia to Texas, people and businesses are proving how painless it is to live with a lot less water," says Barnett. Australians have undergone a water revolution with "tiny technologies such as micro-irrigation for agriculture and waterless everything," and San Antonio residents have halved their water use and are mimicking historic grazing patterns to raise livestock on nonirrigated grasslands.

Sunday, November 11, 2012 in The Los Angeles Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Aerial view of downtown San Antonio, Texas at night with rotating Tower of the Americas in foreground.

San Antonio and Austin are Fusing Into one Massive Megaregion

The region spanning the two central Texas cities is growing fast, posing challenges for local infrastructure and water supplies.

July 3, 2025 - Governing

White park shuttles with large Zion logo on side and red rock cliffs in background in Zion National Park.

Since Zion's Shuttles Went Electric “The Smog is Gone”

Visitors to Zion National Park can enjoy the canyon via the nation’s first fully electric park shuttle system.

3 hours ago - Reasons to Be Cheerful

Chart of federal transportation funding comparing Biden and Trump administration spending.

Trump Distributing DOT Safety Funds at 1/10 Rate of Biden

Funds for Safe Streets and other transportation safety and equity programs are being held up by administrative reviews and conflicts with the Trump administration’s priorities.

4 hours ago - Transportation for America

Close-up on yellow and black TAXI sign on top of beige car in central Munich, Germany.

German Cities Subsidize Taxis for Women Amid Wave of Violence

Free or low-cost taxi rides can help women navigate cities more safely, but critics say the programs don't address the root causes of violence against women.

5 hours ago - Bloomberg