Team Triad wades into the first of a series of statewide hearings on water usage this week.  Later today, we take a trip to Elmerton Avenue to check out the DEP Statewide Water Resource Committee hearing. 

The committee will answer questions and accept testimony on proposed critical water planning areas in Pennsylvania’s six major river basins.  Critical water planning areas encompass watersheds where existing or future water demands exceed or threaten to exceed the safe yield of available water resources. The process for designating these areas was established under Act 220 of 2002, the Water Resources Planning Act, which created the first update to the state water plan in 26 years.

While we reject the notion that the next great civil war will be fought over dwindling water resources (as long as Ohio and New Jersey don’t make any false moves), there is no doubt that water usage will be a defining issue in the years to come.  Manufacturers, utilities, shale drillers, local governments, conservationists, farmers…ok, maybe there is a little civil war brewing.  We intend to find out what the DEP intends to do about it all.