watercrunch: Future Water in North Carolina

In March of this year the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions sponsored a one-day conference to discuss North Carolina's water resource challenges. Fresh off the digital press, the institute has just released their report on the conference, "The Future of Water in North Carolina: Strategies for Sustaining Abundant and Clean Water". A good read!

In this report, the key points of "convergence" are discussed. Some points of "convergence" include:

Registration, measurement, and regular reporting of water use are essential to sustainable management of water resources.

Land use decisions affect the quality and quantity of our water resources.

Green infrastructure – our forests, farms, wetlands, floodplains, natural areas and riparian buffers – is a vital economic and ecological component of our state’s long-term prosperity.

Market-based approaches that put a dollar value on the services provided by natural resources and ecosystems (ecosystem services) have potential to improve and protect water resources.

Greater efficiency in water use and reuse can sustain water resources, reduce conflicts, and reduce risks during droughts. Climate change is an added challenge to sustainable water resources management.

Don't feel like reading another report, then download some of the proceedings as podcasts.