Saturday, September 6, 2025

Coastal communities,

 Coastal communities, often the most desirable places to live, face numerous risks from climate change.  While rising sea levels contribute to flooding, they can also threaten the quality of drinking water.  These floods bring salinized water inland, damaging water purification systems and harming the drinking water of local populations.  Vulnerable members of a community, such as pregnant people or people with hypertension, are at an increased risk from drinking salinized water. Solutions exist and include specialized systems in desalination plants, sea walls, and dikes, however many of these water utilities are already budget strained and lack the funds and resources necessary to keep up with the increasing demand of climate change.  Experts suggest the implementation of “smart water systems”, or a network of advanced sensors that would raise the alarm when an unhealthy level of salinity was reached, and then a contingency plan that includes a backup water source when necessary.  Although a potentially costly solution, these smart water systems could make life safer for those living in coastal communities.

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