This is the sixth in a series of opinion pieces from leaders around campus on the role that Michigan Tech innovators will play to define the world’s emerging needs.
Water surrounds us in countless forms, each essential to our very existence. Water covers more than 70% of the planet’s surface, permeates our atmosphere as vapor, flows in rivers and lakes, blankets the world in polar ice caps and glaciers, and lies hidden in soil moisture and aquifers. Yet despite its abundance, less than 1% of Earth’s water is accessible for human use. This limited supply is in high demand — not only to enable the chemistry of life, but also to support the industrial, agricultural and technological infrastructure that sustains human civilization.
At Michigan Technological University, our location and mission compel us to confront global water challenges. We are ideally positioned to establish ourselves as leaders in addressing the world’s future water needs.
With diverse expertise in our five academic colleges and in specialized research centers like the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC) and the Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI), Michigan Tech stands ready to advance knowledge and develop innovative solutions for just and sustainable water science and management.
As vast as the demands for water are and will continue to be, so too are the challenges these demands present. Tomorrow’s global water challenges include the need to:
- Develop technologies that provide clean water to all.
- Advance cost-effective desalination techniques.
- Repurpose the energy sector's wastewater from a burden to a resource.
- Achieve near-zero water impact for new thermoelectric plants.
- Drastically reduce freshwater consumption.
- Enhance municipal wastewater recovery.
- Create small, modular energy-water systems for diverse applications in urban and rural settings, tribal lands, national security and disaster relief.
- Ensure scientifically sound environmental flows.
- Enact sustainable management policies for meeting current and future surface and groundwater needs.
- Raise awareness and stewardship of our vulnerable water resources.
- Invest in water resources to efficiently meet human and environmental needs.
- Bolster resilience in the water sector against extreme events.
- Foster a sustainable food-energy-water nexus.
In our own Great Lakes region, which holds a staggering 19% of the world’s surface fresh water, we are entrusted with the stewardship of this strategic resource for generations to come. Here, our regional grand challenges are nearly as diverse as those facing the world at large. We must control invasive species and reduce point and nonpoint source pollution. We must manage toxic chemicals and pharmaceuticals deposited from the atmosphere and mitigate the impacts from energy extraction and climate change. We must counteract the eutrophication of fresh waters and prevent unsustainable water diversions. And we must preserve ecosystem processes and adapt to hydrologic changes.
Beyond these considerations, water protection also intersects with national strategic interests, including the increasingly powerful ability of geoengineering efforts to alter weather patterns. Multiple countries are investing heavily in efforts to enhance rain and snowfall, as drawing fresh water from clouds can be far more cost-effective than desalinating ocean seawater. However, these technologies raise complex ethical issues: Who stands to benefit? Who may be left behind? Who holds the authority to decide issues of global environmental justice?
Below are the five most pressing questions about water resources that society will be facing in 2035, as well as Michigan Tech’s best opportunities for answering these questions.
As human populations and industrial water needs explode, how do we manage the world’s already scarce water resources?
Water scarcity is an urgent issue in many regions worldwide, fueled by overextraction of groundwater, rising demand from growing populations, and climate change. Regions heavily dependent on agriculture or with limited natural water sources are particularly vulnerable, often facing severe shortages. This scarcity not only impacts the availability of drinking water, but also threatens food security and economic and political stability, as agricultural productivity declines under water-stressed conditions, potentially forcing resource competition or mass migration and displacement. Proactive efforts to manage and conserve water resources are essential to secure equitable and sustainable access for future generations.
What can we do to mitigate the grave threat to water quality posed by an increasingly polluted planet?
Industrial discharges, agricultural runoff and inadequate sewage treatment introduce harmful chemicals, pathogens and excessive nutrients into our water systems. This contamination endangers aquatic ecosystems and poses serious health risks to humans, contributing to waterborne diseases and long-term health complications. The deterioration of water quality also negatively impacts fisheries and tourism, a key component of economic well-being in many communities. Reversing this damage will require strict and enforceable regulations, effective pollution control measures, robust restoration projects and educational initiatives to protect and preserve our vital water resources.
How do we make our water resources more climate resilient?
Climate change profoundly affects water resources by altering precipitation patterns and intensifying extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and temperature extremes. These disruptions strain existing water supply systems and complicate efforts to predict water availability. As regions face increasingly volatile weather, managing water resources will become an increasingly complex challenge — one that will compel us to devise adaptive strategies for building and enhancing resilience, along with improved water management practices and investments in infrastructure capable of withstanding the impacts of a changing climate.
How do we expand and sustain water resources for all communities?
Many communities, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, grapple with severe deficiencies in water infrastructure. Aging pipes, insufficient treatment facilities and a lack of infrastructure investment contribute to substantial water losses through leaks and inefficiencies. These inadequacies often result in unequal access to safe drinking water, disproportionately affecting marginalized populations. Upgrading and maintaining water infrastructure is crucial for ensuring reliable and equitable access to clean water, safeguarding public health, promoting economic growth and supporting environmental sustainability.
What social and economic reforms must be realized to ensure a fundamental right to water for all?
Inequitable access to water remains a critical challenge, with millions worldwide lacking reliable access to clean and safe drinking water. This disparity is often rooted in social, economic and geographic inequalities, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities and rural areas. Access to water transcends issues of supply; it is deeply intertwined with governance, infrastructure and social justice. Addressing these inequalities demands a commitment to inclusive policies that prioritize the needs of vulnerable populations, ensuring that everyone can fully realize their fundamental right to water.
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Michigan Technological University is exceptionally positioned to tackle urgent water resource challenges, leveraging our interdisciplinary expertise, state-of-the-art facilities and strategic location near the shore of Lake Superior. Research centers like the GLRC and MTRI, among others, serve as hubs for leading investigations into water scarcity, pollution and climate impacts on freshwater systems. In addition, Michigan Tech’s High-Performance Computing Facility provides the computational horsepower needed to guide responsible and sustainable change. These centers also foster collaboration among highly skilled scholars across our five academic colleges, driving both technological innovation and actionable insights for monitoring and mitigation.
With a strong foundation in engineering, environmental sciences and public policy, Michigan Tech is pioneering advanced technologies in water management — e.g., cutting-edge filtration and desalination — and autonomous observing platforms that monitor dynamic changes in water systems, including pollution, harmful algal blooms and climate-related shifts.
Michigan Tech’s combination of technical capability and commitment to social responsibility positions us as a leader in designing holistic solutions to water challenges that are both technically innovative and community-minded.
Moreover, Michigan Tech is committed to addressing the social and economic dimensions of water equity. Through transdisciplinary research that integrates technology, policy analysis and social science, the University can help shape inclusive policies that support equitable water distribution and infrastructure investment. By engaging regional and global partners, Michigan Tech has the potential to influence water governance models that prioritize vulnerable communities, ensuring a fundamental right to water. Michigan Tech’s technological innovation and strong focus on social justice and environmental stewardship are preparing us to contribute meaningful solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
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