Royal FLush-"Why Plumbers Will Cash In On The Global Water Crisis"

Online, October 28, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The plumbing profession is poised to experience tremendous growth over the coming decades. The driving force behind the growth spurt is the need to conserve water. The global water crisis may prove to be the greatest challenge of the 21ST century.

Leaders in countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and Angola are desperate for the basic element that is essential to all life forms. Water is quickly becoming the focal point of world governments as the finite resource reaches critical levels. Even more alarming is the fact that the United States is showing signs of distress with reservoirs at historically low levels. Moreover, the western United States has experienced prolonged drought conditions for the past decade. The agricultural industry in California alone consumes approximately 80% of the pumped water in the state. The state's massive economy, which ranks eighth in the world, is vital not only to domestic crop production-but international export as well. Interestingly enough, California's population is predicted to double to 64 million residents by the year 2035. The demands on an already strained water supply will only exacerbate, along with a reduction in arable farm land.

The cog in the wheel of water management over the next quarter century will be infrastructure. Currently, the water infrastructure in the United States is inefficient and dates back to the World War II era. In some cases, pipes and fixtures date back to the early 1900's. According to the American Water Works Association, more than 6 billion gallons of water are lost each year due to leaky pipes. In addition, more than half of pipes burst annually. This creates an unprecedented opportunity for the plumbing industry as modernizing the miles of underground pipes is a monumental task. One bright spot in the quest to repair antiquated pipes is found in the 2009 Economic Stimulus Package. Contained within the measure is $4.5 billion to increase energy efficiency of federal buildings. Moreover, the Home Star Energy Retrofit Bill of 2010 (H.R. 5019) passed the House of Representatives in May 2010. While the Retofit Bill is pending senate approval, the outlook for plumbing professionals remains bright as the movement to save water is on. The gravity of this matter has lead some municipalities, such as Santa Fe and Pittsburgh, to explore privitizing water management. However, the private option is fraught with potential land mines like rising costs and a lack of accountability.

George D. Williams is a freelance writer covering the areas of alternative energy and conservation matters. He has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience, along with owning a successful small business. George can be reached at (303) 289-8706. For more information on the "Royal Flush" project, go to http://www.richplumber.info
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