Water Rich, Regulation Poor

In the 21st century, water will become the world’s most precious commodity. The November/December 2002 issue of Mother Jones features a cover story by Jon R. Luoma, entitled Water for Profit, that exposes the recent trend to privatize water at various locations around the world, including U.S. As described in this article by Charleston Sunday Gazette-Mail staff writer Ken Ward Jr., West Virginia is fortunate in having an abundance of water. Unfortunately, the State legislature has been remiss in not passing strong regulations for monitoring and enforcing usage of this importance public resource. A followup article in the Charleston Gazette by Jim Balow chronicles the efforts of the city of Charleston, West Virginia, and other local municipalities in the region to buy back water rights from private water companies. Today’s issue of the Gazette also carries two important editorials on water issues: water quantity and water quality.