getting thirsty

Water covers 75% of the Earth’s surface, but most of it contains high concentrations of salt and is unavailable. Desalination is expensive for developing countries, making that salt water unsuitable for consumption or irrigation. Consequently, access to fresh water is a growing issue as countries share the same water sources. This even has the potential to become an issue of national security.

Think of the issues that come from circumstances in which countries share the same water source. For example, consider disputes over the Jordan river between Jordan and Israel, or the Tigris River between Iraq and Turkey.

Now consider what would happen if your state or community had only limited fresh water access. How involved do you feel local governments should be in controlling water access?