By Prof. Bob Andoh  

We are disconnected from the water cycle, and today we are seeing the horrific impacts of this disconnect. Contaminated water causes 1.7 million deaths a year around the world. Industrial pollutants are being discharged into aquifers, many of which cause long-term health problems.

These harmful impacts should come as no surprise when you consider how humans have historically addressed water problems. We’ve always responded to the one imminent issue that manifested itself. At the dawn of the industrial revolution, we cast contaminants out of sight into our rivers. When the rivers became polluted, we developed treatment plants. Now as treatment plants become more effective we need to find a way to properly dispose of the biosolids that are pulled from the contaminated water. Moreover, new classes of materials and chemicals are constantly being produced, and we are only now becoming aware of which ones have adverse impacts. We need a more forward-thinking approach to keeping water safe.