Editorial

Fresh water from the river

Hold Swansea's salt

Swansea Massachusetts is building a $15 million desalinization plant to produce drinking water from the Palmer River. It will be the first such facility owned and operated by a municipality in the Northeast.

Meanwhile, a private desalinization plant in North Dighton will provide as much as a fifth of Brockton's water supply. This is good news!

Swansea has had three water emergencies in the past eight years, caused by dry spells and development. The latter has increased water use and added roads and parking lots, from which more water runs off these days -- rather than being retained as groundwater.

We do, after all, have an unlimited supply of water around here, albeit with the inconvenience of salt in it. But the engineering to remove it is getting better. Of course, Swansea's plant will require energy to run. How about a windmill or two to do the trick instead of oil, gas or coal? Water and wind -- two natural resources we do have around here.

And now for a desalinization plant at Quonset RI to serve manufacturers there . . .