Wednesday's Editorial: The Water Crisis Touches Everyone Even CEA

Understanding the impact the current water crisis has on controlled environment agriculture and costs it may incurr in the near future.

Photo by Jong Marshes on Unsplash

Water pollution is a growing concern worldwide, affecting the environment and human health. According to a report by the Environmental Integrity Project, California has some of the highest water pollution levels in the United States, with over 37,000 miles of waterways found to be contaminated.

Severe droughts can also increase water acidity, requiring growers to increase the use of pH monitoring solutions. Water is often the cause of outbreaks, as seen in the FDA's investigation into a Salmonella Typhimurium outbreak associated with leafy greens grown in a Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) operation.

Even if CEA is considered more effective in terms of water consumption, it is still affected by the water crisis experienced worldwide…