By Bill Kibler, Executive Director, Great Swamp Watershed Association
No, I don’t mean political dirt.
Clean water is one of the cornerstones of life. It’s the basis of healthy living, healthy communities, and a healthy economy. You may have heard the saying: No water, no life.
You can get a good idea of the water quality of an area by looking at a satellite image of that area. You’re looking for intact forests. Communities with significant amounts of intact forests typically have high water quality. As forests disappear and high-density development takes their place, water quality is compromised.
There’s a reason New York City relies on the protected forests of the Catskills for clean drinking water. It’s the same reason the City of Newark relies on the protected forests of the Highlands for clean drinking water. Healthy forests ensure clean water.
Forests are easy to see, and most people appreciate them. We tend to forget about soil because it’s under our feet; almost invisible most of the time. But healthy soils are the very foundation of clean water. The soil under our feet is a massive living ecosystem that serves many vital roles. It helps retain water after it rains, limiting stormwater runoff and flooding. It also acts as an astonishingly effective filter, helping to purify water as it finds its way into streams and reservoirs, and as it infiltrates its way down into the aquifers.
Forests help protect the soil by preventing erosion from wind and water. Forests help build the soil by contributing leaves and other organic matter. Forests help soils manage water by absorbing and filtering water and by retaining moisture in the soil. We need healthy forests to ensure we have healthy soils. We need healthy soils to ensure we have healthy forests. We need both healthy soils and healthy forests to ensure we have plentiful, clean drinking water.
Before you go to vote, get the real dirt. Spend some time on the candidates’ websites. Look at their positions on environmental issues. Look for candidates who understand the importance of clean water and who support protecting forests and natural areas.
It’s essential that New Jersey’s next governor and our political leadership make it a priority to protect the essential natural elements of the place where we live.
Vote for clean water. Vote for open space. Vote for dirt.
