Your Water: A By The People Special Airing: Nov. 30th, 2006 at 7 p.m. CT on NET1 Dec. 2nd, 2006 at noon CT on NET2 Dec. 6th, 2006 at 8 p.m. CT on NET1

We’ll never know the worth of water till the well go dry. ~Scottish proverb

Is there enough? Who gets to use it? How will we decide?

The people of Nebraska and neighbors across the Great Plains face many pressing issues related to how we use and protect our water. Confronted by a persistent drought, competing water needs, legal actions, and the decline in our groundwater aquifer, policy makers are struggling with how to balance the needs of those who need water for our health, our economy and our delicate environment.

In the fall of 2006 NET Television convened another of its By The People discussions to wrestle with these perplexing issues. As part of a national initiative to encourage civic deliberation as a means to put important issues before a cross-section of citizens, By The People provides a unique opportunity to hear a variety of opinions in a civil forum.

"Your Water" brought together farmers and city residents, students and retirees with a host of differing points of view. As they hashed out the issues for an hour on their own, four Nebraska State Senators with an interest in the topic listened in. Those lawmakers were brought to the table for the second hour to share their perspectives and answer questions. During the discussion they considered whether agriculture should always get the highest priority on water allotments, whether all Nebraska residents should pay farmers for reducing or stopping irrigation on their crop lands, and how this state should make future hard choices about water policy.

The water which supports a boat can also sink it. ~Chinese Proverb

Nebraska state senators Sen. Gail Kopplin, District 3, Sen. LeRoy J. Louden, District 49, Sen. Chris Langemeier, District 23 and Ed Schrock, the retiring representative of District 38 took part in the discussion. Moderating "Your Water" was Mike Tobias of NET Television.

Before the discussion the participants received briefing materials on the major water issues.  You can download that same guide here.  It’s a great resource of classroom and community group discussions. 

In addition, The University of Nebraska Public Policy Center surveyed the participants to see if their participation in a forum such as this changed their understanding of the issues.  You can see the survey results at the NPPC website. 

If you have any comments about the contents of this web page and the By The People project or if you are a Nebraska resident who might be interested in participating in future discussions, contact us at  ByThePeople@netNebraska.org.

Water is a pioneer which the settler follows, taking advantage of its improvements. ~Henry David Thoreau

Video segments from the program:

Click here to watch a short report highlighting some of the key water issues facing Nebraska in the coming year.

Click here to see the By The People participants discuss which water issues they believe policy makers should be considering.

Click here to for streaming video of four Nebraska State Senators, having heard the first part of the discussion, join the group to add their perspectives and answer questions.

We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one. ~Jacques Yves Cousteau

"Your Water: A By the People Special," will air Thursday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. on NET1, Saturday, Dec. 2 at noon on NET2, and Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. on NET1.