Mohican River Watershed is the epicenter of water quality improvement

In Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, conservationist Mahfuz Ahmed Russel is reviving dying streams by building artificial ponds that harvest rainwater to use in streambeds during dry seasons. Over seven years, aquatic life and vegetation have begun to repopulate and streambeds have remained wet throughout the dry season.

To adjust from L.A. regularly draining Owens Lake for its water supply, locals have found that they can recover the dry lake by simply re-adding water to it, which prevents it from creating toxic dust storms. When water is added to the lake, the environment wakes up and becomes home to several plants and animals, specifically millions of birds, which depend on habitats like Owens Lake when traveling around the world.

A greenhouse that is cooled by seawater and the wind is allowing farmers in Somaliland to grow crops like tomatoes and vegetables despite extreme heat. By creating an environment that is higher in humidity and cooler in temperature, plants don’t need to drink as much water — almost 10 times less water because of the cooling system. There are challenges to scaling the response, but these greenhouses offer farmers the potential to increase their revenue in Africa.

A government scheme in Pakistan involves the construction of water-harvesting dams in areas that experience droughts, which allows farmers in the region to use the irrigation water from the dams for their crops. One farmer is growing onions and wheat and because of the access to water, his income has increased more than 60 percent. There are concerns about how helpful the water from the dams will ultimately be in the arid region, but there are plans to build more dams in the next few years.

In 1980, the Ugandan government signed an agreement with local communities in the Mugandu–Buramba wetland that gave them the right to own, manage, and conserve their own property. Today, the wetlands are thriving —reducing degradation and improving biodiversity— and creating a livelihood for the 276 people that live there. The government says that since they are using the land responsibly, their agreement will continue.

California aims to reconnect major rivers with their floodplains. This reduces flood risk and helps restore groundwater aquifers and wildlife habitat. A farm irrigation district in Dos Palos is proving this can work. A groundwater recharge project is taking pressure off levees while helping farmers get water to grow their crops.

Lake associations in New Hampshire are using a combination of chemical herbicide treatments, manual diver removal, and volunteer Lake Host inspection programs to manage invasive variable milfoil. Since 2002, their work has achieved up to 100% reduction in treated areas, and more than 1,500 invasive species intercepted at boat launches statewide.

By strategically restoring native riparian plants, removing invasive species, and implementing efficient water management practices, the Fort Yuma Quechan Tribe has successfully revitalized ecosystem health and cultural traditions along the Colorado River.

Save Our Great Salt Lake is a group rallying local environmental activists to push legislators to care for the Great Salt Lake and take legislative action before the ecosystem collapses. Though it will be a long, uphill battle the group’s efforts have already led to some progress from local government, such as the newly built wastewater treatment plant that aims to get more water to the Great Salt Lake.

After running out of water during a drought in 2002, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District took proactive steps to conserve the region’s water for future generations. Thanks to public service campaigns, outdoor water usage limits, and turf replacement programs, the region’s water usage per capita has dropped by 46 percent. However, many people still don’t fully comply with the city’s water regulations and the region continues to grow at an expanding rate. Yet, similar conservation efforts could be a model for other arid regions around the United States.