Right now most of New Hampshire’s drinking water sources are well protected, but in the future we may need to draw from rivers and lakes that suffer from storm water pollution, run-off problems and the hazards of development. In the next installment of our series on drinking water we look at the quality of our drinking water, threats to water quality and how they're cleaned up before reaching our tap.

Guests

• David Paris, Water Supply Administrator for Manchester Water Works Water Treatment Plant
• Bernie Lucy, Senior Engineer at the Drinking Water and Groundwater Bureau at New Hampshire’s Department of Environmental Services

We'll also hear from

• Andrew Nelson, owner of Nelson Analytical Labs, a full service water and environmental testing laboratory in Manchester
• TBA

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.

Guests

• J. Matthew Davis, Associate Professor of Hydrogeology at the University of New Hampshire and consultant for Emory and Garrett Groundwater, a groundwater consulting company
• 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 Plymouth State University and Research Hydrologist for the US Forest Service, Northern Forest Station
• TBA

Many complain TV news has been reduced to entertainment and sensationalism, replacing serious stories on issues that matter with stories of celebrities, courtroom trials, fires and crime stories. But a longtime TV reporter and author of a book on broadcast news says that if you look closer, you may be able to learn something from the newscasts you see on TV.

Guests

• Steve Powers, veteran journalist and author of How To Watch TV News
• Robert Thompson, Trustee Professor of Television and Popular Culture at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University

We'll also hear from

• David Hatcher, assistant news director for WBZ TV News in Boston

Shorefront developers and homeowners are now operating under new laws to protect water quality in New Hampshire’s lakes, rivers, and streams.
Changes to the state’s Comprehensive Shoreland Protection Act went into effect this month.
Some homeowners and builders say the tougher regulations are confusing and could make building anything more difficult and expensive.
But others say the changes should have happened decades ago.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton reports on how people are adapting to the new laws.