Draining proposal; Mandating stream flows would harm all.COLUMN: IN OUR OPINION A bill designed to ensure the health of aquatic ecosystems An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem located in a body of water. Communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment live in aquatic ecosystems. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. by mandating the release of millions of gallons from public drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. supplies would literally drain Worcester's reservoirs, along with the pockets of everyone in Massachusetts who pays a water bill. Whatever the environmental benefits for fish, flesh and fowl, the damage to the public purse, residential budgets and economic development would be unacceptably high. House Bill 834 enjoys the backing of the Nature Conservancy Nature Conservancy, nonprofit organization established in 1951 to preserve or aid in the preservation of natural environments. It protects wilderness areas in the United States and Canada and is affiliated with similar groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. , Trout Unlimited Trout Unlimited is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. Often contracted as "TU," the organization began in 1959 in Michigan. and the Conservation Law Foundation, along with more than three dozen legislators. We do not question their sincerity and good intentions. But the modern landscape has been irrevocably ir·rev·o·ca·ble adj. Impossible to retract or revoke: an irrevocable decision. ir·rev altered by human hands. Development is a fact of life, and engineering the environment to meet human needs is reality. Without the creation of the Quabbin Reservoir Quabbin Reservoir (kwŏb`ĭn), 39 sq mi (101 sq km), in the Swift River valley, central Mass., NE of Springfield. The reservoir, formed by Winsor Dam and Quabbin Dike, is the largest reservoir in Massachusetts. , for example, Metropolitan Boston would be but a shadow of its current self. Water is as necessary to plants, fish, birds and insects as it is to humans. But the answer does not lie with mandating the release of water from reservoirs that communities have built, filled and protected for so long. Water shortages, limits on consumption and ever-rising bills would become a year-round reality for all, stifling growth, reducing the quality of life, and likely triggering consequences that cannot be imagined during the current debate. There are better ways to go green. We urge the Legislature to reject House Bill 834. |
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