Our Sustainable Northwest

Water Conservation: A Conversation with Mike Barber

The following transcript is from our summer, 2008 water series with Mike Barber and Glenn Mosley.

Intro:

This is Sueann Ramella with "Our Northwest Water," a series of conversations on-air and online about water conservation in the Northwest.

Today, we continue our conversation about the importance of water to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem by focusing on how the region is using its water and how we might conserve this valuable resource. Correspondent Glenn Mosley spoke with Michael Barber, Director of the State of Washington Water Research Center at WSU.

Glenn:

Mike, how much water are people using?

Mike:

I think that's one of the things that we were talking about in terms of getting people to understand where their water comes from, what they are doing with their water, Because its very variable.  You have places like Seattle where people use on average maybe 100 gallons per person per day or less, verses places like Spokane, that in the summer time, the demand may approach 300 gallons per person per day.

Glenn:

Wherever people are, though, there are things they can do, aren't there, in terms of conservation?

Mike:

Oh certainly.  If you think about it, we all are guilty in some respects of not using the water as wisely as we could.

Snowpack and Water Reserves: A Conversation with Mike Barber

The following transcription is of an interview between water expert, Mike Barber and NWPR correspondent, Glenn Mosley.

Posted Thursday, June 11, 2008

This is Sueann Ramella with "Our Northwest Water," a series of conversations on-air and online about water conservation in the Northwest, with correspondent Glenn Mosley and Mike Barber, Director of the State of Washington Water Research Center at WSU.

In the Pacific Northwest we rely on “snowpack” to supply our water needs during the summer months just ahead. Today we address challenges to our water reserves that will be brought on by climate change.

Glenn:

This week we'd like to talk a little bit about climate change and water. Mike do you think climate change is going to serve as a catalyst for action?

Mike:

Well I think it will, anything that raises the public's awareness of what types of challenges are going to be faced in the future is a catalyst, and can be used as such.

Part 2: Water in the West - A Study in Cooperation

Transcription of June 5th Interview with Michael (Mike) Barber
Director of the State of Washington Water
Resource Center at WSU.

This is Sueann Ramella with "Our Northwest Water," a series of conversations on-air and online about water conservation in the Northwest. Today, we continue our conversation about the importance of water to the Pacific Northwest ecosystem. Correspondent Glenn Mosley speaks with Michael Barber, Director of the State of Washington Water Resource Center at WSU about the challenges we face in getting science and public policy to work together. They began with a recap of the “Water in the Pacific Northwest” conference held last November in Stevenson, WA. The theme of the conference, according to Mike Barber, was moving science into action:

<Mike Barber>
Well... We had a very successful conference and we had people from all disciplines, ah, scientists, politicians, policy makers, decision makers... all talking and communicating, and that’s the first step.  The long term goals is that people have to understand that policy is not all science, and that over time you work toward a common solution that works in terms of peoples values, economics and science.

Part 1: Where DOES Water Come From?

Aired May 29th, 2008 (transcript)

This is Sueann Ramella with "Our Northwest Water," a series of conversations on-air and online about water conservation in the Northwest.

Today, it's a conversation about the importance of water to our ecosystem and how we might all better conserve this precious resource. Correspondent Glenn Mosley spoke with Michael Barber, Director of the State of Washington Water Resource Center at WSU. They explored how conservation stems from understanding where water comes from - and, according to Mike Barber, people really don't know...

Mike:

We've done surveys, many people...you know... say well it’s the tap <laughs>, and without really sitting down to think about does it come from the stream? Does it come from groundwater? Is it a combination of both? Um, who else might be using it along the system? All sorts of issues about where does it go afterwards and how is it treated and discharged and all that sort of thing.  People need to know that, people need to be aware of conservation efforts that they can undertake.  People need to understand the cost in terms of not just the water bill that comes in, but the cost to the environment and to society in general, of all of there actions.