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

DATE: MONDAY, February 4, 1991                   TAG: 9102040286
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WATER CENTER/ 25 YEARS OF SERVING AND EDUCATING

There's good reason our society, like all civilizations in history, has tried to assure an ample and convenient supply. Water is essential to life and many basic activities. It's the main ingredient of our bodies.

Water covers 70 percent of the Earth's surface, and it's underground too; we tend to think it will always be there. In the humid eastern United States, probably it will. But it won't necessarily be abundant in the places it's most needed, nor will its quality always be what it should.

A growing population makes many demands on water sources and puts much stress on them - dumping waste into water, letting poisons leak into it, using it for cooling or carrying off contaminants. The cycles of nature cannot repair all the damage; nor can the best efforts of government.

At a time when we need to take better care of our water, it's good to know there is an agency like the Virginia Water Resources Research Center. In its 25 years, the center - located at Virginia Tech - has funded and carried on research on water problems, and has tried to educate people about those problems.

During the center's quarter-century, says its director, William R. Walker, water problems have become more complex. Once, wetlands weren't considered in the center's bailiwick. Neither were questions of land use that affected water resources. The center does more work now on policy issues than before. It hosts conferences. It assists schools in drawing up curricula about water.

It also disseminates information by the stack: Last year, the center distributed more than 120,000 publications and filled more than 24,000 individual publication requests. Such data go to legislators and other public officials, but also to private citizens who realize the importance of water issues and want to be informed and involved.

"We try to provide service to anyone who calls," says Walker. "We may not know the answer, but we try to put them in better position to deal with their question."

The center has promoted not only heightened awareness but also a new ethic about Virginia's resources. Its first 25 years deserves a toast - of sparkling clear water.