Freshwater Society prepares to make a bigger splash

At a serene setting in Navare overlooking a cattail wetland and Lake Minnetonka, the Freshwater Society quietly goes about taking care of Minnesota's water resources.

For 40 years the nonprofit group has promoted research, conservation and protection of the state's abundant stores of fresh water while annually publishing a top-selling Minnesota Weather Guide calendar.

Now, after spending the last two years studying key issues and choosing a new leader -- veteran environmentalist Gene Merriam, a former state legislator and Department of Natural Resources commissioner -- the Freshwater Society is preparing to make a bigger splash in the world of water advocacy. What it wants to do now is stop Minnesotans from taking water for granted.

"Most of us think of water like oxygen -- it's just there," Merriam said. "We consume fresh water every day for everything from drinking water to washing our cars. But it is not an infinite resource. We would like to get to the point where every time a citizen uses water, they do so thoughtfully."

If Minnesota's population is to grow by another 1 million people by 2035, decisions must be made about how to meet that demand for water without using it all up, Merriam said. "Attention must be paid before it's too late -- before the well is dry. '

The Freshwater Society's goal is to bring state scientists, policymakers and residents into agreement about how to keep Minnesota's water clean, pure and abundant, Merriam said.

The society's roots

The U's College of Biological Sciences ran the building from the early 1970s to the mid-90s when, in a university retrenchment, it gave the building back to the Freshwater Society. Now Cargill leases most of the building, including the 12 laboratories, leaving the Freshwater Society a few offices and meeting areas with a view of the lake.

In the Society's 40th anniversary year, Gray -- who at age 90 remains a member of the board -- and roughly 150 Freshwater members have expanded their focus beyond Lake Minnetonka to metro and statewide water issues, said Board Chairman Todd Bolin. "We want to be all things freshwater," he said.

To that end, Freshwater charged eight experts, including Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, and Robert Elde, dean of the university's College of Biological Sciences, with identifying the most pressing water issues that need the Freshwater Society's attention.

In a report released in October, the advisory group concluded that sustaining Minnesota's supply of groundwater and halting the pollution of rivers, lakes and streams and underground water reserves are the state's most pressing water issues.

"We know that the entire state has groundwater, meaning water underground that can be pumped up for any number of different purposes," Osterholm said. "We know that that water gets recharged every year with rainfall and snow melt."

The report recommended more study and measurement of groundwater while testing it for contamination, taking fast action to clean it and doing more to prevent pollution.

An upcoming conference

To encourage policymakers and scientists to work toward common goals on groundwater, the Freshwater Society and the U's Water Resources Center will host a Nov. 12 conference at the U on sustaining groundwater. And as a policy gels on how to protect and sustain groundwater, the Society will encourage individuals to conserve water by thinking about where it comes from, how much they use on their lawns and in their showers, and where it goes when they are through with it, Bolin said.

"It can sound silly and alarmist but, do you leave your water on while you are bushing your teeth? When water just goes down the drain, you don't value water." Predicts Bolin: "Water will be the major issue of the next decade."