Why Protect Water Resources?
There are many important reasons to protect natural land because in doing so valuable water resources are also improved, including: • Our rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands serve as the blood supply of the natural environment and support some of the most biologically diverse habitats in the state. They are critical to the environmental quality of the Commonwealth • Clean, abundant, and affordable water supplies allow communities to grow and businesses to flourish and are important to the economic health of the Commonwealth • Water is essential to the overall quality of life our communities enjoy. From coastal communities to the Housatonic River Valley, water resources are part of the heritage and identity of our communities. Some of the factors threatening water resources are: • With the passage of the Clean Water Act in the 1970’s water resources have improved overall, but many lakes and ponds in Massachusetts still suffer from poor water quality. Algae blooms, invasive plants and bac
