Today we focus on the issue of water supply. Perhaps more than any other environmental resource water may be an ultimate limiting factor for human populations. We already see this in policies designed to curtail water consumption in this country in response to the draw down of aquifers as well as in the water wars that have broken out in the American West. Each of the three articles from the Annual Editions book starts with a compelling image symbolic of the problem of a declining water supply. In the case of the Klamath River it is thousands of fish washing up on the river bank, in Florida is it the death of a cave explorer in a cave that should have been full of water, and in India it is a water war between humans and monkeys. Northwest Indiana, unlike many places, is blessed with a plentiful supply of freshwater in the form of Lake Michigan and plentiful groundwater. Yet, even these resources are limited. The articles from The Times then focus in on debates on whether towns and cities outside the watershed of Lake Michigan should have access to Lake Michigan water. In order to use the water without disrupting the hydrologic cycle, the water that we use ultimately must make its way back into Lake Michigan or into the aquifers from which we draw it. On the other hand, our region is growing fast, and for growth to continue we need access to water. Can we have it both ways?

The question of water supply is ultimately a complicated one involving questions of science, economics, politics, history, and geography. Humans have indeed "profoundly altered the Earth's hydrological cycle" (Hinrichsen pg. 173). To what degree have we altered the system beyond repair? How might we go about finding scientific, economic, and political solutions for a more sustainable water future? In class discussion today we will consider the issue of water supply through an examination the cases described in your readings and by addressing the following questions:

1. How does the hydrologic cycle work and how does human water use disrupt the cycle?
2. What are watersheds and how might they be connected to sustainable use of water resources?
3. What is the cause of the "water wars" over the Klamath River?
4. Who are the important actors in the Klamath River water dispute and what claim do they have over the river's water?
5. What is the role of property rights in water disputes in the American West?
6. Why did the federal government side with farmers rather than fishermen in the latest water dispute?
7. Could the the Klamath River water dispute have been resolved in a way that provided a just or fair distribution of water to all of the interested parties with claims to the water? If so how and what prevented such a solution from emerging?
8. Why is it important to plan for the future use of Lake Michigan water?
9. Should use of Great Lakes water be limited to those inside its watershed basin?
10. What are the implications for urban and suburban development of limiting Lake Michigan water use to areas within the watershed?
11. Planners estimate that most of the population growth in the south Lake Michigan area will take place in areas where the use of groundwater will be unsustainable. Should urban development be planned with consideration of watershed boundaries?
12. Why is Chicago able to send Lake Michigan water out of the watershed while Lowell has been denied access to Lake Michigan Water?
13. What is the potential role of water conservation in protecting and sustaining water supplies?