
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 20, 1990                   TAG: 9004200707
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

PROBLEMS WITH WATER SUPPLY ARE MOUNTING

IF WE DON'T do something quick, we will be up to our necks in problems with water. Hazardous wastes are leaking into the water supply so that people cannot drink it, or swim and bathe in it. Also, it is killing the organisms in the water. We need to stop dumping pesticides into the water, too.

As our population increases, more water is used. It takes a few hundred years just to accumulate ground water. So, when it is needed, it is not available. This can cause lakes and rivers to dry up.

But we can conserve our water by protecting watersheds. We could also replant vegetation on barren slopes. Or we could build dams to form reservoirs. Next, we could clean and recycle the waste water to increase it. Finally, treat sewage and waste water from toilets, sinks, and showers before it is released into the river. KATHERINE WILKINSON ROANOKE

by CNB