some," said Chris Tirpak, EPA 33/50 program deputy. "We were stunned that companies signed up to make these reductions publicly. You take a risk in admitting that you are a big polluter. But companies even signed up for 90% reductions, and some companies made it." Environmentalists have charged that some of the gains are not real reductions—for instance, companies shut down old plants and claimed zero emissions. Critics have also noted that although overall emissions and transfers have decreased, total production-related wastes have increased for 33/50 participants and all TRI-reporting companies. They say this shows that toxic wastes are still on the rise and may wind up in off-site landfills and incinerators. Looking at 1991-94 data, TRI-reported wastes increased by about 9%, according to EPA. Wastes covered by 33/50 remained flat over the same period but have increased a few percent in recent years. Tirpak said, however, companies are projecting a decline in 33/50 wastes for 1994-96. Whether there will be a new 33/50-like program is unclear. "In a way, whether there is a sequel is almost irrelevant," said Tirpak. "The program has been cloned into many other projects, and we've achieved our final goal." —JEFF JOHNSON
33/50 Program emission reductions Millions of pounds
Releases and transfers (excluding transfers to energy recovery and recycling) Source: EPA.
The construction of new dams has slowed markedly over the past couple of decades as the public, governments, and financial backers have begun to pay attention to their high economic, social, and environmental costs.
Fresh water scarcity adds to international food supply, ecosystem concerns The spreading scarcity of fresh water is contributing to ecosystem destruction, a lack of security about food supply, and conflict between countries, according to a Worldwatch Institute report released in September. Although fresh water is a renewable resource, it is also finite, says author Sandra Postel. Growing world population coupled with modern water development projects have resulted in a world in which the abundance of water is no longer the norm. Overpumping of groundwater and aquifer depletion are now occurring in many of the world's most important crop-producing regions, including the western United States, India, and northern China, where water tables are dropping 1 meter a year. This means that a portion of the world's food supply is produced using unsustainable water and cannot be counted upon reliably over the long term, Postel writes. In many cases, groundwater exploitation can do irreversible damage. Extraction may cause an aquifer's geologic materials to contract, eliminating the pores and spaces that stored the water. In California, for example, compaction in the Central Valley has resulted in a loss of almost 25 billion cubic meters of storage capacity, which is equal to 40% of the combined storage capacity of California's reservoirs. Rivers, lakes, and wetlands
also are declining in health because large dams and river diversions have failed to protect their ecological functions, including water purification, Postel found. The "mighty" Ganges in South Asia is one of many rivers that no longer courses to the sea yearround. The lack of fresh water has increased the flow of saline water into the river delta, destroying mangroves and fish habitat, which are major food sources for local inhabitants. The scarcity of fresh water is also driving social and political instability as neighbors compete for limited water supplies. Tensions over water persist in the major river basins of the Middle East, including the Jordan, the Nile, and the Tigris-Euphrates; water rights figure prominently in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The situation could worsen: worldwide, at least 214 rivers flow through two or more countries, but no enforceable law governs the allocation and use of international fresh waters, Postel said. Postel provides several strategies to promote wiser water use, including regulated water markets, rational water pricing, and increased use of treated wastewater for agriculture. For a copy of "Dividing the Waters: Food Security, Ecosystem Health, and the New Politics of Scarcity," call (202) 452-1999. —CATHERINE M. COONEY
VOL. 30, NO. 11, 1996/ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY / NEWS • 4 8 3 A
