Combatting climate change and public health challenges through One Water strategies while improving water quality and public health and providing economic benefits
Published 01-13-21
Submitted by Tetra Tech
Using One Water strategies can address environmental threats, while improving the economy, quality of life, and environmental health.
Water plays a vital role in our lives every day, and the importance of water around the world is extremely evident today. When public health is compromised, communities rely on safe and secure water supplies to support and restore public health. One Water strategies increase sustainability, combat climate change, and improve water quality.
Threats to sustainable, reliable communities include:
These challenges threaten our economy, quality of life, and environmental health—all of which we must protect for the sake of future generations. For those of us involved in water management, there has never been a better time to act.
By Leading with Science®, Tetra Tech is implementing actionable solutions to ongoing water challenges using innovation and emerging technologies. We can shape a more resilient water future through a One Water approach, where all forms of water—surface water, seawater, groundwater, wastewater, and stormwater—are managed in a way that makes the best use of water’s life cycle. By recognizing the vital role water plays in everyday life around the world, we can better manage water to build strong economies, vibrant communities, and healthy environments. One Water emphasizes recovery, recycling, and reuse in the management of water. The One Water approach manages water resources by balancing ecosystem processes with the needs of communities, industry, agriculture, and habitats.
For World Water Day, we stand with our clients who champion and invest in innovative One Water management practices to promote the value of water within their communities. We also encourage all water industry professionals to become changemakers by developing and implementing One Water strategies to help people appreciate the importance of water in their lives. Three strategies that support a One Water approach include:
Resource Recovery and Reuse – Build water infrastructure that safely and cost-effectively recovers water and other resources, such as heat, solids, nutrients, and minerals, for reuse at the site, neighborhood, and community scales. Projects that could be evaluated and implemented as part of this focus strategy include:
Resilient Infrastructure Design – Incentivize more climate-resilient development to maximize economic and social community benefits:
Stormwater and Pervious Land Management – Promote opportunities that improve ecosystem processes on existing open lands:
These One Water strategies can reduce vulnerability to climate events, thereby reducing the risk to life, the economy, and the ecosystem. As presented in this blog, these strategies also provide the opportunity to improve public health, increase property values, enhance community aesthetics and activities, and increase job opportunities.
Tetra Tech is a leading provider of high-end consulting and engineering services for projects worldwide. With 27,000 associates working together, Tetra Tech provides clear solutions to complex problems in water, environment, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, and international development. We are Leading with Science® to provide sustainable and resilient solutions for our clients. For more information about Tetra Tech, please visit tetratech.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook.
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