As his state endures its worst drought in a century, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue is praying for rain. Lake Lanier, the reservoir that waters the endlessly growing colossus of metro Atlanta, is receding from its banks, shriveling to a shiny puddle. Georgia has restricted car washing and lawn watering. It has shut off its outdoor fountains.

In San Diego, which just experienced its driest summer in recorded history, the hills are charred from October’s wildfires. The state of California is so tapped out that the pumps that carry water from the Sacramento River to San Diego were tightened in December. Water authorities are urging San Diegans to tear up their grass and replace it with cactus and succulent. Read more

A backpack’s got plenty of pouches and pockets for storing a water bottle, but a sleek messenger bag? Good luck fitting a Nalgene in there without an unsightly bulge. You’ll either need to go without and keep an eye out for drinking fountains, or toss a few dollars towards these Kickstarted flat-pack water bottles.

Called the memobottles because they’re designed to match the dimensions of letter, A4, and A5-sized documents, the largest version can hold up to 1.25 liters of hydration, or enough hooch to get you through a Monday morning at work. Read more

85% of all Americans are chronically dehydrated. In 47% of Americans (especially the elderly) the thirst mechanism is so weak it is often mistaken for hunger. Even MILD hydration will slow down one’s metabolism as much as 40%. One glass of water shuts down hunger pangs for almost 100% of dieters. Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

Lack of water is the #1 cause of constipation. Lack of water is the # 1 cause false signs of dementia or memory loss. Dehydration mimics heart attack symptoms. Water clears the complexion and removes impurities from the body. Water aids in & improves digestion. 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for 80% of sufferers & lubricates joints.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory, confusion, trouble with basic math and difficulty focusing on computer screen or printed page. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily, decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45% plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Read more

Minimizing yield losses while reducing groundwater usage is a continual goal for Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists on the High Plains, where quantities of water from the Ogallala Aquifer are diminishing.

A 2014 study led by Dr. Wenwei Xu, AgriLife Research corn breeder in Lubbock, and Thomas Marek, AgriLife Research irrigation engineer in Amarillo, and contributed to by Texas Tech University graduate students Karl Brauer and Traci Bland, showed the biggest factor in corn silage quality was water.

The objective of this study, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Ogallala Aquifer Program, is to determine if the brown midrib, or BMR, trait affects water use efficiency, as well as length of maturity and level of irrigation, Xu said. Read more