Last week I talked about water as an image for spirit. The metaphor brought me back to the need to pay attention to water in the way we live.

As I wrote about the way rain seeps into the ground, I thought about what is carried down into the aquifers by rain water. Everything we place on the soil can be picked up and carried into the ground. We have family who lived in Iowa for a while, and in that state where they grow so much corn, there is atrazine in the ground water. This chemical is used for weed control in corn, and it takes years to break down, so it has built up in the water that people draw on for drinking. The community of Walkerton learned with pain and grief what can happen.

Around here we hope that rain will wash through layers of gravel and soil so that it will be clean by the time it reaches the aquifers we draw from. When we are talking about particles of manure, that can mean that nitrogen and other nutrients are being added to the soil. But so much of our bedrock is fractured limestone that water can travel deep into the earth without being scoured. Think of the water that pours through the rocks that line the road to Inglis Falls: water runs straight through cracks in the rock from up above.

It matters what we put on top of the soil. Everything that is on the surface can be carried down or washed into streams. In the city, when it rains, so much of the water just flows across pavement, not soaking in at all. Everything we have spilt on our driveway or dumped by the side of the road will be carried by rain into streams, into storm drains, on to the lake.

There is an expression "down the drain" which we use to say something is lost and gone. But whatever we put down the drain in our homes flows into the septic system or into the town water treatment system. The cleansers and food leftovers, the chemicals and the salt from the water-softeners go on into the water system. Some of these will be purged in the town treatment system; some of them will strain the system; some will go on into the streams and the lake, find their way down into the aquifers. Some are poison for the water creatures and plants. Some harm humans when they make their way back into the system and our taps.

It matters what we put into the water.

It also matters how much we take from the ground. Some of the ground water aquifers are refilled constantly. A few end up under pressure so that we get natural springs or even an artesian well. But in places where there is not a lot of rain or where the aquifer is nor easily refilled, we can take water out faster than it flows in. Some homes in our area have their water run out in mid-summer. In communities like California, drought means a significant lack of water for people and for creation.

Because some cities are in serious need of water, there is pressure to allow bulk water shipments from the great lakes. This could disturb the balance in the water cycle around the lakes. Because we like the convenience of buying a bottle of water at the corner store, companies take large amounts of water, bottle it and ship it away. The plastic of the bottles is a waste. The idea that bottled water is safer is not true. Moving water is an intervention that can disturb the balance for creation and for us.

We take water for granted. We look out over the bay and see an abundance of water. We listen to the music of local falls, and rejoice in the natural flow of water. We take a cool drink on a hot day and enjoy the gift of water. But we also need to attend to what we place on the ground for rain pick up, what we put into the water system for plant roots to pick up, animals to drink. Water is a gift, which means we have a responsibility to care for it.

Cathy Hird is a farmer, minister and writer living near Walters Falls.