Water is as precious to an investor as gold, especially because it is the one commodity nobody can live without. An exchange traded fund (ETF) with a water focus can be an opportunity for investors.  Fresh water supplies are being exhausted in many locales across the globe as the world’s population is growing at a 2% rate. Here in the U.S. water supplies are under pressure in California, Hawaii and parts of the Southwest. TheStreet.com reports wells are contaminated or exhausted and river water supplies are becoming rare.

Water entrepreneurs are seeing the opportunity as public awareness is growing. One example is General Electric (GE) bought water filtration company Zenon Environmental Corp. for $656 million. Ice Rocks are another huge invention, a high-end spring water ice-cube line, which could capture the luxury end of the American bottled water market. The water ETF is PowerShares Water Resources (PHO), up 9% over the past 6 months.

Tags: Commodity ETFs, Water