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Good To Know: Better Water Needs Better System

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Sep 30, 2009 11:00 pm US/Central

Good To Know: Better Water Needs Better System

Reporting
Don Shelby
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) ― The University of Minnesota's Landscape Arboretum gathered water conservation advocates from around the state, and speakers from around the country for a conference on fixing our water problem. Don asks, in a state with so much water, what's the problem?

Our state has more than 25,000 miles of lakes and streams, and all of them flow out of it, taking the water with them. Second, what water falls from the sky here, is likely to be poisoned by the time it gets to the waterway.

We, in this state, just said yes to paying higher taxes to make our waters better. One of the solutions will require a huge shift in the way we develop.

The fault lies with our built environment.

For years, new development has paved over a huge portion of our land, often draining natural wetlands to do it. The drain water from those hard surfaces picks up nutrients and poisons and the runoff goes directly into our surface waters.

If we continue to develop the old way, just because that's the way we've always done it, I'm afraid we wasted our vote and our taxes.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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