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New Hampshire is growing and that means new strains on our water supply. Some complain of soaring water prices along with old infrastructure and strict quality standards. Now some communities are looking to develop “water plans”. We explore how much water we have and use, who uses it and what some are doing to make sure we have enough water.

This program was originally broadcast on July 23, 2008

Guests

• Marilee Horn, water use specialist at United States Geological Survey in New Hampshire and lead author of a study on water use for the Seacoast region
• Derek Bennett, manager of the Water Use and Conservation Program for the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau of New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services
• Andrew Stone, Executive Director of the American Groundwater Trust in Concord

We'll also hear from

• Phil Bilodeau, Deputy Director of the General Services Department for the City of Concord
• Denise Hart, Board Member for Save Our Groundwater, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting water in the public trust

The journey is long, starting with raindrops or snowfall, leading to the ground and to rivers and streams. Some soaks into the ground and into aquifers, up long pipes and into the house; other water heads to reservoirs, lakes or public water systems, then through a series of pipes, plants and tanks before it's sent to you. Today we kick off our series exploring New Hampshire’s drinking water with a look at the process of getting water from the sky to the tap.

This program was originally broadcast on July 22, 2008

Guests

• J. Matthew Davis, Associate Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of New Hampshire and consultant for several groundwater consulting companies
• Sarah Pillsbury, administrator for the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau of New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services

We'll also hear from

• Kevin McGuire, Assistant Professor of Hydrology at The Center for the Environment at Plymouth State University and Research Hydrologist for the US Forest Service, Northern Research Station

Today on Word of Mouth, we look for a possible solution to the “chicken-and-egg” problem of the electric car. If the vehicle of the future will run on batteries instead of gasoline, drivers will need a network of charging stations to stay powered-up. But nobody’s going to build that network until there’s a need, and auto makers won’t mass-produce electric cars until the network exists. It’s a frustrating problem for electric car advocates.

But former Israeli software entrepreneur Shai Agassi is developing a game-changing infrastructure that could finally make them feasible — a standardized network of charging stations where drivers can plug right in. He’s currently working with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom on creating a network in the Bay Area.

Reporter Jim Motavalli has been covering the struggle, and joins us as part of our ongoing "next green thing" series. He’s a senior writer at E - The Environmental Magazine, a regular contributor to The New York Times, and other publications. Click here to read his article.

(Photo by thingermejig)