Under the Sea: Hidden Freshwater Reserves with Brandon Dugan

What About Water? with Jay Famiglietti

By 2025, experts predict over half the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. With a number of our freshwater resources on land receding, is it time to look to the ocean - or, rather, underneath it for fresh water?

Jay sits down with Brandon Dugan, the Associate Department Head and Baker Hughes Chair in the Department of Geophysics at the Colorado School of Mines, to find out.

Brandon Dugan tells us about an aquifer off the coast of New Jersey that could provide access to freshwater – if we dig deep enough. Jay taps into the advanced drilling technology Dugan and other researchers use to access these hidden freshwater reserves and assess them as a viable resource.

The find raises questions about water ownership and governance in uncharted territory, along with the need to value offshore water as much as we value offshore oil and gas. At the tail end of this episode, our producer Erin Stephens returns with our first ‘Ask Jay’ segment.

Do you have a question about water for Jay? Let us know who you are, what’s on your mind, and where you’re based – by writing to [e-mail]. Voice memos are also welcome.