The Quick Facts: Water is the Earth’s most abundant resource, but mounting pressures and misuse threaten water supplies. According to the United States government, at least 36 states are anticipating local, regional, or statewide water shortages by 2013, even under non-drought conditions. These shortages can be attributed a combination of rising temperatures, changes in precipitation, population growth, urban sprawl, waste and excess. Families and individuals can help conserve and protect water supplies to secure water for now and the future.

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The Quick Facts: Americans use water each day to drink, clean, bathe, flush toilets, cook, water lawns and gardens, and for recreation and other purposes. Water — a valuable resource — is also essential to life. To manage this resource properly and prepare for the future, it is important to know our current level of water use. Americans’ use of water affects our quality of life and the environment. Understanding household use of water can help make important decisions to conserve and use water more efficiently. Overall, awareness is the key to conserving water — a precious resource — and money.

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The Quick Facts: The use of pharmaceuticals in the United States is common and widespread. Unfortunately, people tend to improperly dispose of unused pharmaceuticals by putting them in the trash or by flushing them down the toilet. These disposal methods may be causing environmental and human health hazards such as disrupting reproductive systems, neurological problems in children, and increased incidence of some cancers. No national standards exist for how much of any pharmaceutical is too much in waterways or in drinking water. You can help to protect the health of humans, wildlife, and the environment by properly disposing of unused, unwanted, or expired pharmaceuticals in these ways.

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Quick Facts: The U.S. Supreme Court’s latest decision regarding the environment, Rapanos v. United States, focused on wetlands protection. The case presented the Court with an opportunity to clarify what many believe to be ambiguous wording in the federal Clean Water Act and to draw clear lines as to what wetlands are protected under federal law. The decision that the Court handed down could have made it easier for environmentalists to preserve wetlands; it also could have made it much harder. Thus far, the Rapanos decision has been most noted for the lack of clarity provided.

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