Solving the world's water problems is proving to be one of the greatest investment opportunities of our time. Already, world water supplies are inadequate to meet demand, and the problem is going to get much worse in the years ahead. The World Bank estimates that 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and about 50 percent of the world's hospital beds are populated by people who have contracted water-borne diseases. If present consumption rates continue, in 25 years the world will be using 90 percent of all available freshwater. To address the problem, trillions of dollars will need to be invested in water infrastructure projects. And while the problems are most acute in developing and rapidly growing economies, there are huge water infrastructure needs in industrialized countries, as well. In the U.S. alone, it's estimated that more than $1 trillion will be needed for water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

The Contrary Investor has studied the water industry, and opportunities to invest in this space for some time now (that means a lot of reading, basically). A quick search on amazon.com pulls up dozens of books on the subject, most written in the past couple of years. Many of these tomes are a hodgepodge of data; others are frankly alarmist sensationalism with no suggestions for resolving the myriad problems associated with water; some struggle with the notion of clean water as a basic human right; still others wrangle with the merits - or lack thereof - of the political hot potato of privatization of water utilities. And some are very good. One of the best is Planet Water: Investing in the World's Most Valuable Resource, by Steven Hoffmann. Hoffmann explains the dynamics driving the water crisis and identifies investment opportunities in various sectors of the water industry. Hoffman addresses opportunities in water utilities, as well as companies providing water treatment services, infrastructure services, water monitoring and analytics, and desalination services.

Hoffman is no newcomer to water investing - in fact, he is widely considered a pioneer in the advancement of the economic value of water. In 1987 he published "Water: The Untapped Market" for the Economic Research Institute, a think tank for free market processes.

David Fuller's view Potable water is our most vital natural resource and a supply inelasticity theme for investors. Alex Seagle provides a good introduction for investors less familiar with the various water industries. The Fullermoney Archive also contains some useful information on this subject and many of the water industry companies can be found in the Chart Library.

Subscribers may also be interested in Fraser Management's "Green and Grey" theme for the coming decade.

Alex Seagle also organises the Contrary Opinion Forum held at Basin Harbor Club in beautiful Vergennes, Vermont. The 48th Annual Forum will be held from October 6th to 8th, 2010. I spoke at the Forum in 2008, which Mrs Fuller also attended, and we thoroughly enjoyed it despite the sobering market environment. We particularly liked the informal sessions and shared meals with speakers and delegates, including a number of Fullermoney subscribers. I was scheduled to return last year but had to withdraw due to an operation. Alex Seagle has kindly invited me to participate again this year and I look forward to it, as does Mrs Fuller.

If you like an informal atmosphere, totally devoid of commercial hype, good food and the opportunity to share views with a manageable number of experienced speakers and delegates, I recommend the Contrary Opinion Forum. You may be interested in these comments from Timothy Lutts of The Iconoclast Investor who has been attending the Forum for twenty-three years. For additional information call 802-658-0322 in the USA, or email [email protected]. I believe there is an early booking discount.