As anyone who knows me is aware, I have always been proud of my dad. My choice to work at PEC and on long-term solutions to sustainability is a direct response to what I learned from him.

As I sit in my office, I can see the maple trees budding and about to burst open with the excitement that comes with every springtime in the Piedmont region. And that is how I feel about all of the upcoming activities we have planned this spring to help create better, more sustainable communities throughout our region.

As we near the end of 2017 and contemplate the future, I am increasingly convinced that we, as Americans, as Virginians, and as members of our various communities, need to focus on finding common ground around critical issues of quality of life. This has been a year in which many of our core assumptions about conservation and environmental protection have been challenged and, in some cases, cast aside. Now, more than ever, we need to remember why we all have been working so hard for so long….

Our region is close to long-term averages for annual precipitation this year. Given the plentiful rainfall, stories about a shortage of drinking water seem odd. However, those stories are everywhere you look. For instance, in Fauquier County, water shortages from a combination of reduced ow and contamination in existing wells spurred negotiations for new wells in Marshall. Also, concerns about the availability of water were central to the debate over future development in Warrenton. Greene County is considering constructing, at considerable expense, a new storage reservoir for withdrawals from the Rapidan River. In addition, Loudoun Water is purchasing quarry sites along Goose Creek for future storage….