The Stream, August 16: Water Demand to Exceed Supply by 40 Percent in 2030

Water demand is expected to exceed supply by 40 percent in 2030, Michael Zacka, President and CEO of Tetra Pak, writes in a blog post for The Huffington Post. While most companies have sophisticated and effective sustainability programs in place, he notes that water management often falls off radar into less obvious areas of concern.

Water Supply
British Columbia’s lack of groundwater regulation has allowed Nestlé Waters Canada to extract nearly 265 million liters (70 million gallons) of water from the Fraser Valley each year for free, The Province reported. The Ministry of Environment has plans to introduce regulation in the 2014 legislature sitting, however experts note that successive governments have been talking about modernizing water for decades and successful action has yet to be taken.

The Fresno City Council voted yesterday for a series of water rate increases over the next four years, which will fund nearly $US 410 million worth of water related infrastructure projects, American Broadcast Company reported. “We are really in a race to get the infrastructure built,” said Public Utilities Director Patrick Wiemiller.

Oil Drilling
In response to growing protests in Southern England, Cuadrilla Resources has suspended its oil drilling activity in the village of Balcombe, Reuters reported. The privately owned company announced its decision after police warned of an extra influx of 1,000 protesters for the coming weekend, illuminating the country’s escalating anti-fracking movement.