This is another one of those great infographics that’s stuffed with data. These are my favorite types because I love consuming random facts. This infographic, by Growing Blue, outlines the looming water crisis in the United States. It uses the Normalized Deficit Index, developed by researchers from Columbia University, to predict which cities might face water shortages.
So how is the NDC formulated?
The NDC is determined by factors like water demand, precipitation totals, water use, and variations in water supply.
The first thing I did was look to see where my city stands on the map. Luckily, my city looks like it has a nice dark green dot, which means there is little risk. Still, I was surprised to see that my state, Michigan, has a lot of red dots in it. My entire state is surrounded by huge fresh water lakes.
There are a lot of interesting facts and data points in this infographic. For example, the U.S. population has grown by 99 percent, but public water consumption has risen by only 50 percent. That suggests that Americans are wasting less water. On the other hand, water consumption in agriculture has increased by 43 percent and total water withdrawals are up 127%. Importantly, water withdrawals have outpaced the increase in population.
If you’re an American, you should check where your city stands! Water is vital resource, so hopefully leaders around the world start to pay more attention to the developing issues in water supply.
Anyways, check out this great infographic by Growing Blue!
