International Efforts
Because the availability of clean, usable water is a worldwide problem, many WaterCAMPWS faculty and students have focused on projects and collaborations that take them beyond the borders of the United States. Currently, more than one billion people worldwide lack access to clean water and, in developing countries, more than two million people a year die from water related problems, with the numbers growing. Declining snow-pack storage and the loss of glaciers that feed rivers year round mean that major river systems throughout the world will experience periodic water shortages. Aquifers are suffering from declining water levels, saltwater intrusion, and inadequately replenished fresh groundwater. Today, demand for potable water exceeds available resources in some areas. This worldwide water crisis is made worse by deteriorating infrastructure, growing population, contamination, and high demand for water in energy-generating processes.
