UMass Extension Public Issues

A Five-year Plan for Addressing:

Water Resource Protection

Summary/Description

Adequate supplies of clean water are critical to public health and quality of life, food and fiber production, maintenance of healthy terrestrial, wetland and aquatic ecosystems, and economic sustainability of Massachusetts communities. Water resources are affected by a wide range of activities including development, storm water management, agricultural and natural resources based business activities, water withdrawals, and industrial activities.

The impacts of various land uses have degraded water quality in lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, estuaries, bays, salt ponds and groundwater, and threaten local and regional economies, including those based on recreational and commercial fisheries. For most water bodies, water quality data are generally lacking or are insufficient for assessing threats to human health and aquatic ecosystems.

Increased water consumption, unequal distribution of water supplies, wastewater treatment methods that do not return treated water to source watersheds, and cyclical drought have impacted the quantity of available surface and ground water supplies, forcing some communities to institute water-use regulations. Water withdrawals and other hydrological modifications are threatening the ecological integrity of wetland and aquatic ecosystems. There is a need for greater understanding of the potential threats to the water supply, and the geological and hydrological factors that impact water resources. There is also a need for land use policies that recognize both the vulnerability of those supplies and our reliance on them. Finally, there is a need for the development and implementation of best management practices that will protect water resources.

Situation and Priorities

Water is a primordial resource that must be protected to provide clean drinking water, support viable terrestrial, wetland and aquatic ecosystems, serve as an essential resource for businesses, and provide recreational opportunities. Historically in our region, water supply has been adequate, and point source pollution is now mostly under control. Increases in human population and changes in lifestyles, however, are creating new problems around water quantity and quality. Water withdrawals result in dry river beds and water consumption advisories, and polluted storm water has become a major concern for surface water bodies and wetlands. New pollutants are also discovered that need to be mitigated.

It is ultimately the state’s responsibility to ensure safe and adequate water supply. In turn, the state relies on university-based research to investigate new threats, new treatment technologies, restoration principles, best management practices and effective policy steps to guide decision-makers. UMass Extension can bridge the gap between academic research and practices to apply that research. Municipal and regional government needs direction and practical examples to solve local water resource problems. Natural resources based businesses need guidance to conduct business in an economically viable, environmentally conscious way. Other entities (agencies, non-profit organizations) need information to help educate the public on what steps they can take to protect the water resources they use.

Our experience at UMass shows that there is much research capacity in our various colleges and that Extension can partner with existing faculty to devise solutions to water resource problems. One effective approach is for faculty and Extension staff to develop programs that are targeted to, shared, or developed in collaboration with other groups, such as municipal departments or state/federal agencies, that deal directly with the public.

UMass Extension has identified the following priorities for addressing Water Resource Protection in Massachusetts:

1. Minimizing land use impacts on water resources.
   Of great concern is how land use affects the quantity and quality of water resources. New development can be planned and conducted to minimize storm runoff, water withdrawals, and serious damage to fish and wildlife habitat
2. Water resource protection in land management.
   Public and private land managers and businesses dependent on natural resources (such as agriculture, the horticultural green industry, forestry and others) have a direct impact on water resources. They must use practices that prevent and reduce water pollution, and protect and restore water resources.
3. Water resource protection through land conservation.
   To protect water resources in the long term, land acquisition and other conservation programs must include water resource protection as an important element.
4. Adequate supplies of high-quality drinking water.
   Water suppliers must ensure adequate supplies of high quality drinking water (through land acquisition, proper land management, distribution oversight, etc.)
5. Minimizing impacts of large water Users on aquatic ecosystems.
   Water suppliers, dam operators, and industrial water users adopt practices that protect aquatic and wetland ecosystems. This includes groundwater and surface water withdrawals, river water level regulation, changes in water temperature due to water impoundment and discharges of cooling water, and the disruption of fish and other aquatic organism passage.

Long-term Goals

1. Enhanced Health and Productivity of Natural Resources and Ecosystems - The quality of land, water, plant, animal, and biodiversity resources will be protected and enhanced, and healthy self-sustaining ecosystems maintained.
2. Improved Human Health and Well-Being - Diverse youth, families, and communities will achieve greater physical and social well-being.

The following Projects will address Water Resource Protection. Click on each project to see additional details.

• Plant and Soil Diagnostic Services
• Nutrient Management: Livestock and Crops
• Sustainable Turf Management
• Sustainable Cranberry Production
• Sustainable Greenhouse Management
• MA Water Watch Partnership