Earlier this week we had a couple of warm days and a lot of melting. The sound—a steady drip and slap—overwhelmed even the enthusiastic songs of birds around the neighborhood. Water streamed from rooftops and soaked the trunks of trees. It flowed down driveways in sheets and converged on the street. Heading off to pick up my son after school, I walked between rivulets that slipped under piles of snow along the edges of the lane. Where winter ice had broken the asphalt, murky pools formed. But the pull of gravity was clear. Meltwater escaped through every crack, rejoining the flow and slipping westward toward the catch basin at the lowest point in our neighborhood watershed.

As I stood waiting for the bus, I unfocused my camera and took a picture of a spot where where tiny ripples swirled over the rough asphalt. The result is a patchwork of reflected light. I like the picture, but it leads me to something bigger. Water is in connection with the land as well as the light. What does that mean? Anything that lies on the street—leaves, dust, road salt, fertilizer, pest waste, and more—becomes part of the flow. Consequently, how we treat the land (and the air) affects the quality and quantity of water. It's a simple equation, but one we often forget.

Today is World Water Day. The United Nations cites increasing urbanization—the growth of population in cities—as a major influence on water resources globally. You'll use water many times today. When you do, stop to ponder this life-giving resource. Below are a few of the many available resources to help you learn how to protect it.

World Water Day from the UN
CDC announcement (with background and data)
Nine Mile Creek Watershed District
summary of the Clean Water Act
Renewing Earth's Waters, by Christine Petersen