New England Grassroots Environment Fund

Group Resources

2007 NH Resolution for State and Local Role in International Trade Agreements
Trout Unlimited’s Teport ‘A Glass Half Full. The Future of Water in New England’
Food & Water Watch’s Report ‘Take Back the Tap’
Blue Planet Project Website
Council of Canadians’ Water Campaign Website
Polaris Institute’s Water Program Website

Group Details

Save Our Groundwater (SOG) is a citizen action group dedicated to advocating that water is a natural resource to be held in the public trust and to be protected for all life now and in the future. SOG is active in a public education campaign to stop the mining of groundwater for private profit and advocate for sustainable use of water supply. The group is working to stop USA Springs, Inc. from taking 307,000 gallons of water a day from a parcel of land in Nottingham and Barrington. In addition, SOG has formed a coalition that provides assistance and support to other water activists in the state taking on issues that include bottled water, municipal water systems and other large water users. This coalition advocates for the conservation, protection and management of NH’s water supply for the common good and examines what steps can be taken to preserve water supplies and keep them in the public trust now and for future generations.

The group’s successes include: getting aquifer protection zoning in local communities; expanding membership and outreach activities with an all-volunteer committee and leadership structure; establishing efforts as nonpartisan while effectively building relationships with elected officials at the town/city and state levels from both major political parties; organizing concerned citizens from across the state in support of groundwater protection and management issues. Since the group organized in 2001 it has played a major role in heightening the awareness of protecting groundwater and potable water resources and has been instrumental in getting bills proposed to close loopholes in existing water protection legislation and providing better laws to protect water.

The group, located in Barrington (NH), received its latest NEGEF grant in July 2006 to increase public awareness coupled with an education campaign about water conservation and the dangers of privatizing natural resources.