Education for Sustainable Living, Environmental Respect, and Celebrating the Quality of Life.

Water Resources 

"You never miss the water til the well runs dry"  ... traditional blues tune. 

        Such is the nature of water and water resources.  Careful, fair, and equitable water resource management is probably the most challenging and important task we face in the 21^st century.   

        Despite the fact we are the water planet, it is a case of scarcity amidst plenty.  As of today, a third of all countries face water shortages.  Consider the Western United States; population growth and water management in cities like Las Vegas defies logic.  Decisions to grow lawns in Phoenix, to produce alfalfa in the desert, place golf courses in the desert, and decorate with huge fountains are all examples of the waste that typifies how we approach water use in the US.  Meanwhile, over a billion people live without sufficient water to meet modest food and material needs.   In the Environmental Sustainability Project, we try to raise awareness of water and the value of the resource.  Maine is a water-rich state.  Sometime in the near future, our water resource may be as valuable as Saudi oil.  The decisions we make today will have a great impact on the quality, quantity, and cost of our water in the future.  For more information on water and water resources, read on.  

Putting knowledge to work with the people of Maine

A Member of the University of Maine System
Last Modified: 09/13/2006
These pages are currently being maintained from the
Water Quality Office, University of Maine Cooperative Extension.
Send comments, suggestions or inquiries to John Jemison

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