Do not be fooled by X charts. Each year about 80 billion acre feet, in the form of rain and snow fall on the continents. The remaining 53 billion acre feet return to the atmosphere to replenish the existing ground and surface water supplies. Three percent is not much, but it is all we have and all we have ever had since the beginning of time. It simply recycles and recycles, over and over again.
Water supply is one of mankind's greatest problems and it is becoming worse each and every year.
There is an urgent and ever growing need for water that is pure enough for human consumption. In some areas of the North American continent, water supplies are being used up at faster rates than they can be replenished. For example, the Colorado River, by the time it finds its way to the Gulf of Mexico, the river bed is nothing more than a trickle. In other areas water is already being rationed as the demands for water steadily increase. Large urban communities have their water supplies metered and commercial, industrial and residential customers pay high fees for excessive usage.