The Upper Delaware Region is currently blessed with abundant high quality water resources. Protecting them is critical to future life forms, both human and non-human.

To encourage further dialogue, Pennsylvanians are invited to participate in a water survey being conducted by the Pennsylvania Water Resources Research Center (PA-WRRC) in partnership with Penn State Cooperative Extension, Sea Grant Pennsylvania and the PA American Water Resources Association.

According to PA-WRRC director, Dr. Elizabeth Boyer, the initiative aims to describe the breadth of water issues facing the state. “Concerns over water resources in Pennsylvania have been growing in recent years, in response to severe droughts and floods, a growing population, increasing demands for water, and the need to understand how changes in land-use and climate will affect water quantity and quality,” she wrote in an email.

The Pennsylvanians and Their Water survey is one tool that will be used to assess the importance and scope of water issues as identified by the public. Weigh in on how funding for water resources should be distributed, select the three most important issues facing state waters and more.

“We are eager to hear from a diversity of citizens to understand their perspectives,” Boyer continued. “However, the survey does not represent a statistical sampling of opinions. We will synthesize the results and present them on our website (in a detailed report and in a summary). Our results will be useful to all stakeholders as a starting point for further dialogue about water problems and their solutions. Further, the PA-WRRC values public opinion in planning for future research, education, and outreach activities.”

PA-WRRC is part of the National Institutes for Water Resources, and one of 54 federally funded state and territorial water research centers created by the Water Resources Research Act of 1964.

The five-minute survey can be completed online at www.surveymonkey.com/s/PaWater until August 31.