Everyone wants pure, clean water and plenty of it.  Water quenches our thirst, irrigates our crops, keeps lawns and parks green, and serves for countless vital needs -- from cleaning and cooking to cooling and recreation.  Yet many precious water resources across the local mountains and foothills are suffering from over-consumption, water diversions, impacts from development, and various sources of pollution.  Despite laws and policies aimed at protecting water quality, human activities create tremendous cumulative effects for streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands across the local region. 

  This newsletter focuses on some of the most important current problems threatening local water resources.  Livestock grazing in the national forest, logging practices and chemical applications to boost timber yield, grading for new development, septic system contamination, dams and diversions, roads, and the over-consumption of limited water supplies – all degrade or diminish water resources.  Water is truly the lifeblood of the local ecosystem, but a warming climate and ever-greater demand for water put more pressure than ever on this region’s streams, rivers, and subsurface water sources.  New rules and policies are needed to make protecting water quality a higher priority in land management decisions across the region.