Number: 2008-07
WHEREAS, healthy ecosystems function as a unit; and
WHEREAS, groundwater is an integral part of the aquatic interface among surface waters, wetlands and streams; and
WHEREAS clean, ample groundwater supplies are essential to both human and ecological health, vital to the nation’s economy, drinking water supplies, recreation industries and a vital part of the “commons,” which should be accessible to all for the public good; and
WHEREAS, groundwater is a finite global resource, increasingly threatened by drought, over-consumption, contamination and an inadequate legal regime to protect groundwater and surface water; and
WHEREAS, diversion of groundwater is occurring more frequently worldwide, triggering dewatering of wells and springs and degrading surface waters; and
WHEREAS, authority over groundwater resources often comprises a patchwork of state and local statutes in many cases unrelated to broader needs and demands; and
WHEREAS, the burgeoning effects of global warming suggest that better management of water supplies, including keeping flows underground, is one way to protect water resources from inordinate warming; and
WHEREAS, identification and protection of aquifers and recharge zones is a crucial step in protection of groundwater resources; and
WHEREAS, technological advances continue to offer new, potentially effective methods of managing groundwater, e.g. pumping into closed aquifers, capturing runoff in place, directing it into the aquifer and allowing groundwater reserves to feed to the surface under a natural Regime; and
WHEREAS, groundwater protection and management is an important component of overall water resources management, and recognizing the interconnectedness of groundwater and surface water and the impacts that groundwater withdrawals have on surface water bodies and public rights should be considered a part of this process;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation, at its 2008 annual meeting in Keystone, Colorado, acknowledges the importance of groundwater and surface water resources to environmental, public and economic health; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation aggressively supports proper long-term management and protection of groundwater resources, including the recognition that groundwater and surface water are interconnected and that groundwater withdrawals may impact public rights, other water users, and damage natural resources including surface water resources; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Wildlife Federation supports protection and management of groundwater as essential to the health and prosperity of the nation and recognizes the importance of managing groundwater resources so that both groundwater and surface water resources are protected and so that groundwater withdrawals are not allowed to harm or impair public rights or natural resources.