The Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN)

The Stewardship of Water

Resolution C046

Stewardship: The Stewardship of Water

Resolved, That the 74^th General Convention urge dioceses, congregations, and communicants to regard water resources as precious, and to recognize that the right use of water is an explicit means to show love for one’s neighbor, since water connects people and all creatures throughout the global community; and be it further

Resolved, That the 74^th General Convention encourage dioceses, congregations, and communicants to become active stewards of their water resources through conservation efforts including reduction of consumption; through examination of water discharge such that contaminated water does not improperly leave church grounds; and through the creation of environmental programs for stewardship of water and the whole of creation and for the education of congregants in regard to good and faithful stewardship of the earth’s resources; and be it further

Resolved, That the General Convention encourage dioceses, congregations, and communicants to undertake one or more of the following four stewardship steps:

• When and where possible, install water-saving devices, such as low-flow commodes and aspirators on sink faucets;
• Replant church grounds and home gardens with plants and trees that are drought-tolerant and have low needs for water, and that are native to the region and therefore able to survive local climatic conditions;
• Devise drainage systems that allow rainwater to flow from gutters and drain pipes to spread onto the lawn and landscaped areas of church grounds and home gardens, thereby reducing water lost to sewer systems;
• Pave new or repave existing parking lots with materials that are pervious, so that water penetrates into soil beneath parking areas, thereby reducing the flow of oil and other auto fluids into streams.

Explanation:

We are called to care for the whole of Creation.  Water, blessed by the Holy Spirit at Creation, is a key element in Holy Scripture and in the history of the chosen people's encounter with God.  We show our love for God and our neighbor by our right use and reverence for water.

Water is the earth's most precious resource.  The first organisms originated in water, and all organisms require water to live.  Although three-fourths of the Earth is covered by water, the volume of potable water is an extremely small fraction of the total water volume.  Water can become scarce due to alterations in climatic conditions as well as from human activities. Through over consumption, waste, and contamination, available potable water supplies dwindle daily. Most of the underdeveloped nations lack access to adequate supplies of drinking water, due to scarcity, microbial contamination, and human commerce.   This problem is common to both impoverished and wealthy nations. In the United States, people in cities and in rural areas have limited access to potable water.

Despite the passage of the Clean Water Act in the early 1970s, water quality in many states has deteriorated.  In eastern North Carolina, people are finding it increasingly difficult to tap groundwater that has not been contaminated by toxic byproducts of industrial-scale hog farming.  Toxic levels of nitrate have entered local streams, making the water unfit to drink and the fish from the streams unfit to eat.  These additions of agricultural waste and fertilizers have spawned more algae, which have further contaminated the water.  In other parts of the country, transport of pollutants via waterways has made places along the coast unfit for swimming, fishing, and other recreation.  Storm-water runoff stimulates bacterial blooms along coasts as sewage treatment facilities are unable to decontaminate rainwater that has collected chemicals, fertilizers, and other harmful poisons as it flows from the land to the sea.

These situations have resulted from our lack of care for our primary resource in God's Creation. Through improved management of water, before and after use, these critical conditions can be corrected. The ethic must be taught and understood that every living being lives downstream. How we use water impacts the availability and quality of water for our neighbors as well as ourselves.

Submitted by

• Ms Judith B. Lane (Diocese of North Carolina)

The EpEN is a national network of active lay and clergy persons within the Episcopal Church, USA, who share a common concern for the environment and a common belief in the presence of God in all Creation and who work to make these concerns and beliefs known throughout all Provinces and Dioceses within the church.  Members come from around the Episcopal Church USA.  The activities of the EpEN are focused on the areas of Reflection, Education, and Action. 

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