"Using these plants, we will be able to remove radioactive nuclides from the water and make it clean for irrigation purposes or even as a source of drinking water, " says Slavik Dushenkov of Phytotech.

CNN: Flower power

Purves is very concerned about the glaciers in the Himalayan mountains that are the main source of water for irrigation and drinking in China and India, well over 2 billion people.

FORBES: 500 Million People Will Be Displaced By Glaciers Melting In Greenland And The Himalayas

Of greatest concern initially, the Keystone XL pipeline was designed to run through Nebraska's Sandhills, which lie above the Ogallala Aquifer, the main source of drinking water and irrigation for millions of people.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS