Theyre all gone out. I witnesses experienced the terrible events, the la shadow of the 1970 to olympic massacre. Stuart september, 3rd on d. W. Ah. Nature depends on water. Without it, nature can no longer exist. The feel organ ill much drought can are ecosystem, couldnt waters withstand base . If the Climate Change is over a relatively short time, whats inside wyman . 14 it is near. I believe when it comes to Climate Change, we are only now just beginning to feel the effects youre ecosystems are already collapsing globally dark. Now we also have to worry about the worst of all possible endings, like dickie ended at suite into about 80 percent of the trace who died enough and can be down in here, we have a 300 percent over use of water. Im literally sitting on what was a boat ramp driving such an impact that we could kill the Colorado River side. Ill find it difficult. I can. No one can be without Drinking Water from 40. Well certainly headed for a grave 100. Logical catastrophe. Wished in womens we can say that a violent confrontation with nature awaits us with an o 2 m. We are used to an abundance of water, but that perception is changing quickly. Thanks to Climate Change. Ah, less water is leading to frequent water shortages. This series raises the question, what happens when the wells run dry . The town of mountains provide most of the Drinking Water in germanys vine mine region. Asked clarissa, as the former had of these buttons, water, authority, and ecologist, andrea asunder man, has studied the impact of extracting water from the town as mountains on the local nature, all over germany. The consequences of the drought are visible. As you can see, im walking troy footed through or used to be a street or carried water. All the around that had estate had cyclists, unusual. Standing on this with the ledge and euclidean look gravel under his feet. Elizabeth closet. Mm. Doesnt at all. Its sad to see the stream like this. It does, it just confirms we have known for a long time because i did the water extraction, interferes with the ecology with ground water levels and also drains the landscape public. So why are rivers and streams drying up . We look for clues in a particularly hard hit region, water rich bavaria ziemen pies from the northern burg Water Management office searches for a pond that is a tributary to the peg nates river as little as you can so forced ends walk, you have to imagine that only a few years ago, this was all underwater vasa. Our dissect what theres nothing here. Where did the water come from . And where did it go . The 2 experts are looking for the remnants of a spring. Def i few of you can see that the water level used to reach above this plot are loss ashed on you know, right. Incredibly, this is the also that not to of need our flock. Relative nature reacts relatively quickly to rainfall, immune gas, just like when youre water, your flowers and yeah, yeah, it will be sent to avi about what were talking about here. Thats how it looks underneath the surface via even through our official Monitoring System so that we can see that in recent years and let the levels have not recovered during the winter like they used to. But in v, in tie in that and thats a big concern. Nick, or was this august the, the arm through a series of us that ill skill often have this is water used to flow from here and fill this context. Now the water table thats in the mountain behind us is even below. They said you see where the water used to gush out, labeled as well. So for you, ill skip fitness. I didnt. If it, i woods this area where the water used to flow through is completely dry. As you can see, i cannot, i have some images from earlier this year where you can still think them water here. Now its basically just a dried out cave. No animals could talk me to hulu. As is not me. So on. The situation has never been as critical as in the last year seal and because of the consecutive dry, somers and springs with her eddie, the alley of tom. Where does our ground water come from . At the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact research fed hunterman analyzes the german weather service, has records of precipitation. And if operation, how is the available water . The water supply changing is a quality doth this corridor between precipitation and of operations . And here is what les to becomes ground water and flows into the rivers does does for us. And thats the water we can manage it, but us, these are corridor, but were seeing this corridor getting marrow. Ive submitted in your annual average of rainfall may remain unchanged yet. We have less water if its sort of into that. Thats because our winters are getting sure. So this is never that warmer weather means more of operations when causing vegetation to grow for longer periods. If it is an offer and winter is when the water tables and reservoirs are replenished on the phase where we dont have green vegetation on these a phosphate. However, that phase is getting shorter of excess, meaning that the same amount of rain eventually leads to less water for humans. A night junction on the 20 not were over the past 50 years, global animal populations have declined by an average of 68 percent. And even though humans only make up 0. 01 per cent of earths bio mass, we are responsible for almost all the negative impacts on everything else. The zinc in veg institute in frankfort on mine has been researching biodiversity since 1817. What is the correlation between biodiversity and dryer climate . The sphere tang continents with till been studio, what weve been able to show in our global study for us is that streams and rivers drying up at the surface have become the rule, not the exception. Safety plus the 60 percent of all streams and rivers naturally go dry, have i say, but when a stream that permanently carries water begins to dry up them and there are obviously massive consequences again, oh, super both for the environment and for the availability of the quality of the water for us, humans, not assessment any health if a fluke item, city quantity, despite suspense mention the consequences are becoming apparent in germanys, im mine region, a large part of the Drinking Water for the 5800000 People Living here comes from the town of mountains for more than a century, millions of cubic meters of water have been pumped out of the ground every year. How does this plant operated by hassan vasa . One of the largest water suppliers in the region affect nature and st. Clair is the former head of the Water Authority and visa barn, one of the largest Population Centers in the region. For years, claudia has documented the consequences of extracting Drinking Water on nature. Hinder, mia is im good. Vis or under some spots or the hind me is an arm of the shrouds. Black river but has gone dried out of guns, a yard its dry throughout the year due to the water extraction that is located here above us, extra large months per extra for the not door. I think the consequences for nature serious the it is cotton progressively worse because of the drought in the last few years or not. So can nominate. This is not so not north air for shaft. One of has in boss as customers is the city of alba. Ursula, near frankfort, over ursula public utility supplies residents with Drinking Water, managing director, eula and tony and technical manager detect reddish. Explain where the water comes from given us to be done. What hollows come of the force of in about it to the extraction area in the town as mountains as a boss . Tough us. Yeah. Got hm. We were extracting was a furnace, bath, top town was that the town us whole size on our close. Thats the rules and back river to doctors, and the flow of the little box has to be at a certain level. I mean, for us to be able to use our water right in the town us important, escobar also can do the whistle back river flows through the entire region and Drinking Water cant be taken out unless the awesome buff is carrying water. Andrea andermann from the thinkin Berg Institute has been observing the river for years i was recently understand from was about to him so much that hes talking for it monthly standing at the point to be it was about if it actually dries out during this, im a mumbled austins almost easier to imagine if you look at some pictures and buffy is in from, by a spirit. If that is, for example, is the few downstream. And you can see that this channel, this gravel bed, is completely drying, one star from another because Drinking Water is being extracted from the upper reaches of the osler battery bucket, rougher and water that is extracted, that is what is missing a number of feared on these are stella water for citizens or water for the river . Its a tough choice. And what are the consequences for the entire hind mine region, which gets much of its Drinking Water from the town us . Competition for water as a resource has already become a fact. And here in the heart of germany, the demand for human Drinking Water is competing directly with natures needs. Not only as plant life affected aquatic life is hurting to thus hot, ill always also has an impact on the bio diversity we are lacking. Certain species normally found here because they cant cope with it, which used to play with water. I p here on solicit seasons within men or streams and rivers, are among the most bio diverse habitats in the world. It cause im easily comparable to coral reason or tropical rain, florida certified only this diversity is under water. Them not immediately visible on the land, under man is doing field work by the elizabeth river. Shes collecting samples at several locations to document the current biodiversity. And for closer examination and the laboratory in touch on cynthia seam puts in a leper hewn for us. It in germany will august only 7 percent of all streams and rivers. Whats are considered to be in good ecological condition accrual issues, which means that 93 percent of water bodies here are in poor condition. Im increasing the hub and this will be despite the european water framework, director of beasts weighed thousands. The direct us goal is to achieve good ecological status for all water bodies. By 2027, a seam quoting, and were now it just says 70 percent. One movie. That means i that its impossible to achieve this target oconnor, which i think the question care must be why to be formulate target a c lift that we know from the outset or out of reach. And this with our current effort to see him, me to use an unsettling. Then he be at the outset on the name and he said, see, late kindness, fuss at i have what will thunder man find in todays samples . So to males, i shouldnt be more met, limiting, not necessarily more individuals. Is that more spc feeler . If role there are several types of nationalized countess lies. And beetle sniffing, egan is still in that sense. We really havent. We gcs diversity here. Hot and few. Normally there in many, many more school funds on the body of water like this was on the vessel. What are the consequences of such reduced species, diversity for nature . The hook gum that below his feel, fight the decline of biodiversity. One is the biggest challenge we face as humanity. On the one hand insights, one, something is lost and one, its lost forever one. And on the other hand its, we dont know what a 1020 answer or the 50 percent decline in this diversity. The suff will mean for nature and ultimately do for us in the long run. Now, christie could do it, but human impact on our waters is not limited to just extracting Drinking Water. Ya does also have in the stair also what we are seeing here, mr. Ronald from the over little waste Water Treatment trans, up vasa, its actually purified, waste water. Hes actually on logan downstream. This long you have a relatively high, isnt he just purified, waste water in the refund when you so we have a very li jesus, no species composition. Not only are you still seeing that can cause humid deezen, but these other towards the ones with a column purified water sounds harmless. But it contains toxic residues from micro plastics to pharmaceuticals and pesticides discharged into our streams and rivers. Scientists and hanover, the capital of lower saxony are currently investigating the impact on ground water. This is where evolve hylas, team comes in. Hanovers Environmental Agency has been taking a hard look at ground water over a long period of time. When that link for thought, get your house is our Drinking Water is mainly fed by ground water off towards any adverse effect on the ground. Water will eventually also affect our Drinking Water and buffalo new national. The researchers 1st collect a water sample they use fishing line to lower the receptacle 20 meters into the monitoring point, and then fill it up with ground water. Storage of the thrust of a 5th machine from the water will be chemically analyzed and his capture did listen to you. You really busy, lower it down to the bottom of this grown water, should alpha hello. Its almost all know that weve collected the water. We can begin the chemical examination. The ground water will 1st be screened for residues in the laboratory, and then experts will look for living organisms. Even shaft vickers, we have recently been using more scientific methods one a few more, which allows us to look for different kinds of micro organisms. Mm hm. If they were to find species that would normally only be found on the surface, it would be evidence of surface water mixing with ground water with the underwater camera sinks deeper and deeper into the ground Water Monitoring point, looking for micro organisms. But a more detailed examination is necessary for the water samples from hanover have been sent to the university of Copeland Landau for analysis water ecologist hands juergen hahn and his team will take a microscopic look at the samples. Ah, this one is quite interesting. Were the scientists suspicion is confirmed when a small, almost transparent creature appears under the lens, is well look up as any man guns, sherman, him, vice 12, the see trip to royce, an indication of surface water infiltration in his sample also contains fresh will to copper dishwasher which a typical organisms found on the surface. Lastly, heal. If you find those in samples from ground water or Drinking Water reservoir, think with, you know, the something is coming in from above past, like maybe the most of mine. But are these findings really cause for concern yet . And if so, why . My stuff, a lot of that is seeping out as neither Drinking Water nor fresh water from the springs us on that to a great extent its waste water from treatment plants. It puts it in the rhine river, it is about 50 percent of 80 percent in the necker river. The sand sometimes close to a 100 percent in smaller streams of buffer waste water flowing in streams and seeping into groundwater. Obviously poses a risk to quality testing. The chemical composition of the water samples from hanover, led to some equally disturbing findings that it had overseas been infiltration. Bond wanted substances can also be found in the locations in hanover affected or influenced by surface water pharmaceuticals. For example, to buy so far the concentration is very low in there, but detectable nevertheless on as well its wanted if i wanna respond vick indifferent else that we were seeming, this will get worse in the coming years and decades. Fresh air, an american study from earlier this year showed that a considerable part of the waters, especially in the west, had been contaminated infinitely. There are many pollutants in on the situation is most critical in areas where surface irrigation is used for agriculture. Duction. A renowned hydrologist explains the impact on americas west coast. Im j family, eddie. Im the executive director of the Global Institute for water security at the university of saskatchewan. I may hydrologist, havent been down there in a while and to see how things have changed. How things have dried out since so since i left california in 2018. Really incredible. No. Where is the impact of waste water on nature more evident than in the imperial irrigation district . One of the largest agricultural areas in north america, its man made. And in the middle of a desert, you really need to get out at these agricultural regions to really understand their vast expanse. Thats true in the central valley. Its true in its a true in the imperial irrigation district. You get out there in these fields, just stretch and stretch and stretch for miles and miles. And thats when you realize just how much water is being spread over the surface to green up the desert. The imperial irrigation district spreads 3. 00 trillion leaders of water per year in the region. Meanwhile, 40000000 local people face water shortages and now sure is drying up. Ah, the runoff from all the agriculture fields gets channelled into rivers and is delivered to the south and see which is internally draining. Which means thats it. Its like the dead sea run off that goes into is full of fertilizer and pesticides. So the water itself is toxic. I dont actually know if it can be saved. I dont know what it would take to save it. The salton sea is the largest fresh water lake in california. It used to be a vacation resort to day, very little can live here anymore. Yeah, im literally sitting on what was a boat where the lake is seeping away and evaluating the salton sea has been been a tragedy. As the waters have receded. Its created dust that blows into as far as, as the city of los angeles, creating air quality issues to begin with. And then there is the increased solidity of the water. So youve got a, a number of, of tragic issues that have arisen where theyre once parks and recreation facilities, theyre noun, barren beach lands at best. I remember when i 1st came to the salt and see a few years ago, the water levels were literally thousands of feet closer than they are today. And it just is a startling thing to see me. Humans have consumed the water for farming in the desert, while poisoning the water that nature needs to survive. In the long run, th