"Drop by Drop: Protecting Indiana's Water Supply"
By: Laura Vidal and Leigh Ann Cross

Water is essential to sustain all life; the water we have on Earth today is the same water that was on Earth millions of years ago. We have a responsibility to take care of our water in order to sustain life in the future. The problem is, however, most of us view clean water as an unlimited resource, always readily and easily accessible. That is why it is crucial to educate people about the importance of upgrading and / or replacing water and wastewater infrastructure. That is the purpose of the Documentary, "Drop by Drop: Protecting Indian's Water Supply" produced by WFYI public broadcasting.

The WFYI crew took their cameras all across Indiana and collected over 500 hours of footage. With comments from everyday citizens to Public Health Department Directors, Professors, and Legislators, "Drop by Drop" does a great job of telling the story of Indiana's water supply and how to protect it in a concise, fast-paced, twenty eight minute documentary. They captured the stories of people who don't have convenient access to water in rural areas, failing septic systems, and the state of Indiana's water and wastewater infrastructure. They filmed the processes utilities use to deliver safe drinking water and return it to the environment in a responsible way. Some problems throughout the state are highlighted as well as some good news about how some cities are improving their infrastructure to maintain clean drinking water to their residents while using cost effective methods. From the story of sewage bubbling up at the surface 100 feet from the city square in Orland, Ind. to Garden City Mobile Home Community near Richmond, Ind. finally getting city water piped to their community, "Drop by Drop" thoroughly tells Indiana's story.

"Drop by Drop" invokes Hoosiers to start thinking about water. Not just our water that comes from the tap, but how we "treat" our water, too. The documentary impresses the importance of what happens when we flush the toilet, pour something down the drain, and how we use the land. Wastewater treatment plants and properly functioning septic systems are critical to keeping pollution out of our water supply in conjunction with being aware of what you put on the ground will eventually end up in a water supply. In order to keep our wastewater and water infrastructure running at healthy levels, we have to start valuing our water. We are so accustomed to inexpensive water and wastewater treatment methods, that we just don't view water as such a precious resource. We argue we can't afford price increases to update and upgrade water and / or wastewater systems, but the fact is we can't afford NOT to… our lives depend on it.

If you would like more information about the documentary visit: www.dropbydropindiana.org

http://www.wfyi.org/dropbydrop.asp