Preserving public rights to NH water
Date
2006
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Southern New Hampshire University
Abstract
Water is a basic human right that is critical to economic growth, therefore it should be kept in the public trust with collective ownership by the citizens. No economic activity takes place without it. This project looks at New Hampshire citizens involvement and stewardship of water. We need only ask what life would be like without water to realize how priceless this invaluable resource is. This project community is defined as the citizens of NH and the environment. Although an exact dollar amount cannot defiantly mark the economic value of this project, fundamentally our water resources are basic to our communities. As threats of privatization begin to make a commodity of our water resources we as citizens are banding together to ensure that sustainable future development maintains citizens natural rights to water. This project will build a coalition of citizens and organizations who evaluates water resources in NH. This coalition, known as the NH Water Table, has began to advocate the conservation, protection and management of NH's water supply for the common good and examine what steps can be taken to preserve our water supplies and hold it in trust for sustainable use now and for future generations. This coalition is evaluating the communities' watershed and what safeguards are needed in order to have a sustainable watershed plan.
Citizens and groups who are currently working on water issues in the state of NH, were brought together to have an ongoing collective discussion about their work to create strong laws and strengthen existing laws. The objective of NH Water Table is to organize NH citizens to work together to strengthen zoning and planning regulations and monitor water users in their community especially proposed bottled water plants and municipal privatization of water supplies. This NH Water Table looks at communities interest in water supply and the future development related to water availability. This information is used to produce and distribute educational materials, which advance the communities' knowledge of water problems. The work done by promoting the discussion of sustainable use of NH's freshwater supply in the media, the state legislature, and local communities and by fostering a climate of interdependence and ability to work together regionally for the common good of our water resources.
The evaluation of the success of the project is based on what activities took place within the last two years. The NH Water Tables is a diverse sixty-eight members coalition show the strength and organizing abilities, which is growing in NH. We have begun the conservation, protection and management of NH's water supply for the common good. The coalitions first success was the citizens that participate in educational events and maintained a volunteer base to support efforts. This must continue as the monitoring of legislative initiatives, and strengthening laws must be a lifetime commitment. (Author abstract)
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