Tied for first place are Great Lakes cities of Chicago, Cleveland and Milwaukee. Following in rank for solid water supply longevity are Detroit at number four and New Orleans at number five.

Without steady supplies of fresh, drinkable water, our modern cities would quickly devolve into their previous selves: unsanitary, cholera-stricken, less populated. In a word, Medieval. Gigantic concrete and steel water delivery systems across deserts, state lines and over foothills ensure instant supplies of fresh water to each and every faucet and showerhead in cities without ample nearby supplies. Some cities, like Portland, Seattle and San Francisco depend on a stable water supply for their electricity as well.

Most cities in our survey reported having conservation programs and goals in place, and many have dramatically reduced daily per-resident consumption over the last decade. Lawn-watering sunbelt cities fared worse than east coast cities where few residents even have a lawn, much less water one. There remain huge opportunities for business, residents and government in cities everywhere to decrease per-person water use.

For more background on the issues, drink in Marc Reisner's excellent primer on water use history in the Western United States, Cadillac Desert, or check out the Water Crisis topic over at Wikipedia. The Pacific Institute, led by Peter Gleik, addresses water supply issues with its comprehensive Water Program.

"Temperature increases in mountainous areas with seasonal snowpack will lead to increases in the ratio of rain to snow and decreases in the length of the snow storage season (very high confidence). It is likely that reductions in snowfall and earlier snowmelt and runoff would increase the probability of flooding early in the year and reduce the runoff of water during late spring and summer. Basins in the western United States are particularly vulnerable to such shifts." --National Water Assessment, Pacific Institute, 2000

Resources:

• Weekly Water News from EnergyBulletin
• National Water Assessment, Pacific Institute, 2000
• Wikipedia: Water supply and sanitation in the United States
• American Water Works Association
• Estimated Water Use in the United States, USGS, 2000
• "WET-CAT" Water-Energy Subgroup of the Climate Action Team, State of California
• Climate Change and California's Water, Department of Water Resources, State of California
• Seattle Climate Change Impacts, University of Washington, 2004

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