From Great Lakes Wiki
By 2020, water could be the hottest commodity (8/14/05)
By Deb Price / Detroit News Washington Bureau
Prowling the streets of Albuquerque, N.M., water cop Carol Edwards spotted a serious offense -- water merrily flowing down a street gutter.
Intently aware that each passing second meant a needless loss of water, Edwards gunned her vehicle up the foothills, tracing the wet evidence back to a home sprinkler system and its forgetful -- and shame-faced -- owner.
"I clocked it at nine-and-one-half miles. Nine-and-one-half miles," Edwards recalled, her repetition underscoring her disgust.
"Water is very precious here. We just can't let water run into the street in the desert," said the inspector, who gave the homeowner a $20 ticket and a stern lecture.
Water, as Albuquerque and much of the world is discovering, is rightly being called the 21st century's blue gold. And while seemingly farfetched today, concern is growing that increasingly thirsty parts of the United States and the world may, in coming decades, try to force the Great Lakes region to share its bounty.
Already in the United States, 36 states predict they will have water shortages in the next 10 years, even without drought or climate changes due to global warming, according to a congressional report.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has declared that by 2020, water will be the world's most sought-after commodity. By 2025, it projects that 4 billion people -- half of the world's population -- may live in "conditions of severe water stress," particularly in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.
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