THE WATER INNOVATORS

• Affordable Soil Moisture Sensors | Dr. Marc van Iersel

  

  Affordable Soil Moisture Sensors

  Dr. Marc van Iersel

  Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of freshwater use worldwide. Current irrigation practices—from greenhouses to farms—rely on imprecise indicators of when (and for how long) plants should be watered. For example, ornamental growers typically determine plants’ watering needs by picking up a pot to see if it’s light or heavy, or sticking a finger in the soil to detect moisture. Others merely put irrigation on a timer, which waters plants whether they need it or not. Most large-scale agricultural operations utilize similarly inefficient irrigation techniques.

• ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation | Susan Addy and Ashok Gadgil

  

  ElectroChemical Arsenic Remediation

  Susan Addy and Ashok Gadgil

  Arsenic is a chemical element that occurs both naturally and as a byproduct of agricultural, mining, and industrial activities. The WHO-recommended maximum limit for arsenic in drinking water is 10 parts per billion (ppb). An estimated 140 million people in more than 70 countries are affected by toxic concentrations of arsenic in groundwater. In Bangladesh, for example, levels over 1,000 ppb have been detected.

• Floating Sensor Network | Alexandre Bayen and Andrew Tinka

  

  Floating Sensor Network

  Alexandre Bayen and Andrew Tinka

  Many parts of the world are confronted with increasingly difficult challenges when it comes to water management. These challenges—which range from droughts to flooding to water quality to resource allocation—are most effectively addressed when water managers have accurate diagnostic data of real-time conditions. For management efforts such as maintaining the freshwater channel in a large river delta, as well as in emergency situations such as a levee failure, flood, or contaminant spill, is important to understand “where the water is going.”

• HydroPlatform | Dr. Julien Harou

  

  HydroPlatform

  Dr. Julien Harou

  Sustainable water management is a complex challenge that involves integrated engineered (water supply), natural (hydrology & ecology) and human (economic, social, political) systems, and huge quantities of data. While computer-based mathematical models can help represent how these different pieces work together, such models are only widely applicable if combined with user interaction and data management software.

• Large-scale Vertical Hydroponic Ag System | Stephen Kennedy Smith

  

  Large-scale Vertical Hydroponic Ag System

  Stephen Kennedy Smith

  Global population projections estimate that by the year 2050 there could be more than 10 billion humans on the planet, and 70 percent will live in cities. Feeding an additional 2.2 billion people—nearly all of which will be born into resource-poor regions of developing countries—will require an increase in food production of 70 percent, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. While technically the planet possesses sufficient water and other resources to feed the world of 2050, these resources are distributed disproportionately across the globe, and tend to be especially scarce in the areas that need them most.

• Low-Cost Bacterial Water Tests | Mark Sobsey

  

  Low-Cost Bacterial Water Tests

  Mark Sobsey

  Worldwide, an estimated 1.6 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases attributable to unsafe drinking water, lack of sanitation, and poor hygiene; 90% of these are children under 5. In many developing countries, is common practice to dump untreated sewage into the same lakes, rivers, and streams that people use for drinking, washing, and bathing. Not surprisingly, fecal contamination is responsible for some 80 percent of all infectious diseases in the world. While long-term solutions to these problems will eventually require interventions to improve water quality and enhance sanitation infrastructure, much could be gained now through more frequent and widespread water testing.

• Manna Energy Projects in Rwanda | Evan Thomas

  

  Manna Energy Projects in Rwanda

  Evan Thomas

  In areas of the world where sanitation and water infrastructure is limited, the result is that drinking water sources become contaminated. Local residents fall victim to diarrheal diseases, intestinal parasites, and other water-related illnesses that are among the leading causes of death among the poor and inhibit their ability to thrive physically and economically.

• Subsurface Vapor Transfer Irrigation | Mark Tonkin

  

  Subsurface Vapor Transfer Irrigation

  Mark Tonkin

  Of the 332 million cubic miles of liquid water on Earth, over 97.5 percent is unsuitable for agriculture due to high salinity. Because irrigation with untreated saltwater can result in plant dehydration, poor growth, and event ally death due to salt poisoning, there are vast land areas around the world that are non-productive because the only available ground or surface water is high in salt. The ability of farmers to use saltwater to grow their crops could help alleviate current and future food scarcity problems, as well as improve the availability and efficient distribution of limited freshwater resources.

• Water: Tapped and Untapped | Shahram Javey

  

  Water: Tapped and Untapped

  Shahram Javey

  An estimated 349 billion gallons of freshwater are withdrawn per day in the United States, according to 2005 data from the USGS. Of this, 3.8 billion gallons are used for domestic purposes. The national average per capita water consumption is roughly 98 gallons per day for indoor and outdoor usage, though the average is significantly higher in the Mountain and Western states—regions with relatively low rainfall and frequent drought conditions.

• WaterCredit | April Rinne

  

  WaterCredit

  April Rinne

  WaterCredit applies principles of micro-finance to the water and sanitation sector. By making small loans to individuals and communities in developing countries who do not have access to credit, WaterCredit empowers people to address their own water and sanitation needs. WaterCredit is a development tool to help lift people out of poverty and take control of their own lives. Access to $100 provides a household a water connection to their home. Access to $90 can provide a home with a toilet. Many of the world’s poor are able and willing to repay this loan. WaterCredit models connect people to the credit they need to improve their family’s health and lives.